I have been in a home office for the last 10 months and I can tell you it is definitely an eye opener. Secondment to a home office is becoming more widespread than ever. In fact, according to the U.S. census there are 30,000,000 people who operate businesses from their homes. The other interesting statistic is that the demographic is somewhat older in that 80% of the offices are occupied by people over 44 years old.
There are pros and cons to operating in a home office. The pros are obvious: little or no commuting except down the stairs or into the garage; more time spent on the business due to less conversation and office chit chat; quiet environment for conducting conference calls - unless your kids are banging on your door "Daddy come for dinner now!".
The Cons are not so obvious: lack of social interaction other than interacting with the neighbor when you take out the garbage; no one to be dynamic with and bounce ideas off or to discuss account strategies and situations; lack of business resources and access to information.
The reality is, this outpost activity will indeed increase. Be prepared to experience a period of adjustment. I have colleagues that absolutely love it and those that abhor it - totally.
The reality is with VOIP, VPN's, Wireless, and other technologies, you truly can function at an optimal level. Just ensure you "get out" and socialize with other business types who are in the same boat as you.
There are a number of organizations sprouting up all over the U.S. and Canada. One in particular is called Jelly. Check them out at: http://www.workatjelly.com/.
They are environments where you can be with like-minded professionals like yourself and bounce ideas off each other. Plus it gives you a reason to get out and get some fresh air - and coffee of course.
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