Finding a remote-working/home-based contract

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Still have a few months left on current gig but I am thinking I'd like to find a home-based contract for my next gig......

Does anybody have any experience in this or am I just dreaming in thinking that this is possible?

My aim here is to find a couple of contracts that I could do together and split the work out over the day....

[northernladuk]

I think most of us would like this at some point... the reality however...

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...king-home.html

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...king-home.html

Even if you ran a company that delivered a service rather than a bum on a seat to a client you would be expected to attend site at certain times for inter company relationships and to be seen around let alone actually delivering your product.

EDIT : Saying that I was based purely from home for 18 months in my last permie gig and it nearly killed me. Absolutely awful and wouldn't do it again. Couple of days a week tops for me I think.

[jamesbrown]

You may think you want it, but it has strong disadvantages too if you want to do this longer than, say, 3-6 months. I only work from home, with very occasional visits to client sites (perhaps 3-4 times per year), and it gets pretty boring at times TBH But the autonomy is great. Once every 2-3 contracts would be ideal, I'd imagine.

[DaveB]

I think most of us would like this at some point... the reality however...

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...king-home.html

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...king-home.html

Even if you ran a company that delivered a service rather than a bum on a seat to a client you would be expected to attend site at certain times for inter company relationships and to be seen around let alone actually delivering your product.

EDIT : Saying that I was based purely from home for 18 months in my last permie gig and it nearly killed me. Absolutely awful and wouldn't do it again. Couple of days a week tops for me I think.

WNLUKS. I've done home based gigs and gigs that had a large WFH component and it does drive you up the wall eventually. The one I am on now is WFH 1 day a week and to be honest that is enough. Any more and you start getting cabin fever.

[cojak]

WNLUKS. I've done home based gigs and gigs that had a large WFH component and it does drive you up the wall eventually. The one I am on now is WFH 1 day a week and to be honest that is enough. Any more and you start getting cabin fever.

Yep, I do Fridays and Mondays and wouldn't want anymore tbh.

[filthy1980]

question: for those who do/have WFH for an extended period, how do you find your productivity?

having only done it the occasional day here and there my experience is mixed, some days when i've had specific stuff to do (docs to write etc) it can be fruitful, but run of the mill days are too easy to be distracted from

[northernladuk]

question: for those who do/have WFH for an extended period, how do you find your productivity?

having only done it the occasional day here and there my experience is mixed, some days when i've had specific stuff to do (docs to write etc) it can be fruitful, but run of the mill days are too easy to be distracted from

I went from 100% working hard, log in earlier cause I don't have to travel, not logging off until I had to eat etc (was a young buck trying to climb the ladder at the time) to absolutely zero as my motivation gave up and died. I even found out that if I taped a key down whilst in MS Word letting it fill the page with that letter it would show my Lotus messenger as 'at keyboard' but after about 2 hours my laptop would crash so had to keep closing the document, re-open and repeat. That was my daily routine for the last few months.

It's hard enough ignoring distractions at home at best let alone when there is no pressure or direction from your manager, colleagues and over time focus will suffer.

[northernladuk]

Yep, I do Fridays and Mondays and wouldn't want anymore tbh.

Funnily enough I avoid doing Mondays and Fridays at home. They are the two days out of all that a client could think you are winging it. In the time at my current client we have binned one contractor for being constantly unavailable on a Friday when WFH and have had 2 bans on everyone WFH those days. Even now there are mutterings about the lack of people in the office on a Friday.

Obviously the people that live a long way from work are pissed off because the slackers that live close by and cba to come in spoil it for them.

[filthy1980]

I went from 100% working hard, log in earlier cause I don't have to travel, not logging off until I had to eat etc (was a young buck trying to climb the ladder at the time) to absolutely zero as my motivation gave up and died. I even found out that if I taped a key down whilst in MS Word letting it fill the page with that letter it would show my Lotus messenger as 'at keyboard' but after about 2 hours my laptop would crash so had to keep closing the document, re-open and repeat. That was my daily routine for the last few months.

It's hard enough ignoring distractions at home at best let alone when there is no pressure or direction from your manager, colleagues and over time focus will suffer.

what it this "lotus messenger" you speak of?

before my time

[formant]

question: for those who do/have WFH for an extended period, how do you find your productivity?

having only done it the occasional day here and there my experience is mixed, some days when i've had specific stuff to do (docs to write etc) it can be fruitful, but run of the mill days are too easy to be distracted from

I work from home pretty much exclusively. I visit the office for a few hours once a fortnight or once a month. I doubt my productivity would be any greater in the office, due to the nature of my work. I do work within a team, but I do have a very specialised role - meaning I don't work closely with others, I just do my bit - on my own.

My productivity therefore depends on how much there is for me to do. I can be extremely efficient and productive, but no doubt there are days where there's hardly anything to do. On those days in particular I appreciate being at home, turning on the telly, hanging out with the dogs. Unlike in an office environment, at least I don't have to make myself look busy - I just have to be available. Also, I find that I can tailor my hours to the workload over the course of the week. So I work a shorter day when I'm not busy and add those hours onto the next busy day instead.

It gets a bit 'lonely' I guess, but then I'm really not the sociable type, so I quite like it. *shrug*