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Round 5: The work-life balance: setting boundaries From: Lisa Date: March 7, 2002 4:22 PM The question now on the table is - does telecommuting make it easier or harder to juggle the work-life balance? From: Craig Date: March 8, 2002 9:46 AM Absolutely, without question, teleworking - even part time - makes balancing work and personal life easier. I definitely look for the telework option when I job-shop. So do a lot of people, I understand. From: Susanne Date: March 8, 2002 11:09 AM Sorry, Lisa, too much ruminating on the question and not enough answering. My initial response was, "of course it makes balancing life and work easier." And without question it does-it means having the freedom to go to a doctor's appointment for your kid in the middle of the day and not worrying that you're pissing off some manager who resents you taking personal time. It means you can leave the office politics and water cooler chit chat behind and sit down and really focus on your work-in your choice of clothing, too. :)
Cheers, Susanne From: Antonia Date: March 8, 2002 11:28 AM I was thinking exactly the same thing. I think that part of the balance is also helping others understand what it means to work from home - and that it really is work. For me, it is possible to have the clear boundaries between what is work time, and what is personal time; but others may not understand that. For example, I often get the "so, you 'work' from home, do you?" comment - like, working from home isn't really "real work." I am then faced with the task of explaining my working day, the strategies I use to keep myself on track, etc. - essentially justifying the fact that I really do work.... Also, I have often had friends and family members drop by the house during the day, and sometimes unexpectedly. Not that I don't love seeing them, but there is that expectation that I will drop everything, put on the pot of coffee, and visit. I wouldn't drop by their workplaces without letting them know, nor would I expect them to stop what they are doing in the office to accommodate me. Overall, the balance is there, as long as you define it. But, there is always the challenge of having other people, and possibly those who have never worked from home before, understand also. Antonia From: Susanne Date: March 8, 2002 11:49 AM That's an excellent point. I wasn't looking at it from that point of view (external factors and other people's perception of telework) but that is a real issue/concern in juggling the work-life balance. I sometimes get that "so you work from home" comment too, and when they find I out I have two small kids they automatically think "Oh that's great, you're home for them, too." Well, yes but not quite. Work is work no matter where you do it, which means you can't do that and take care of children at the same time. I end up feeling the same way about having to justify that I actually do work. (FYI, I have daycare arrangements for my kids; I don't bounce them on my knee while I sit at the computer.) Susanne From: Heather Date: March 8, 2002 12:49 PM Hi, I'm in full agreement with Susanne and Antonia's remarks. It's very important to set boundaries with friends and family - you *are* working and you're not free to chat or hang out whenever they feel like it. Heather From: Luke Date: March 8, 2002 2:32 PM Hi everyone, I have personally found that the work-life balance is much harder when working from home. The borders of work and life are blurred here. My house is my home, but also my workplace. I think that my perception of where I live, therefore, has been changed, and not necessarily for the better. It used to be that home was a place of refuge. I'd head home from the office at the end of the day and end up in a place completely unrelated to work. Now, however, I'm only footsteps from my workplace. If I have an impending deadline (or am just feeling obnoxiously ambitious), it's a short, quick jaunt to the "office." So work can often cross that border into personal life, resulting in me doing work on weekends when I should be relaxing. That's not to say that personal life doesn't cross that border at times, either. Drop-ins and calls from friends can and do happen as people don't always understand that working from home actually involves work. But I think that's been covered already. Cheers, Luke From: Craig Date: March 8, 2002 3:17 PM Luke: You raise a good point about blurring the line between home and work - that it is not necessarily a totally "good thing." However, there are positive impacts on a larger scale, if you think about it. Like, reduced air pollution. Also, now that more people are teleworking or running home-based businesses, I find there is more activity in my neighbourhood during the day. The bedroom community I live in used to be a ghost town during the '80s. Now, there is more activity on the street throughout the day and this may have had an impact on reduced levels of crime (mainly house break-ins). Round 1: Meet and greet Round 2: Challenges: That long-distance feeling Round 3: Benefits: Pets, PJs, peace and quiet Round 4: Tools of your trade: technology Round 5: The work-life balance: setting boundaries Round 6: Motivation: Making fear your friend
Photographs All Rights Reserved © CBC, 2002
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Photo by Taras Kovaliv
