5 MINUTE READ
1 in 6 people work from home some or all of the time…including little ol’ me.
Is it all the Loose Woman Watching that it’s cracked up to be?
Here’s the lowdown
The Ups…
You don’t have to get out your PJs (but it helps)
You don’t have to wash your face (but it helps)
Colleagues don’t bring in GIANT tins of Roses, Easter Eggs or left-over birthday cake, which you invariably eat on the way to the photocopier
You find your natural working hours – if, like me, you’re a morning person that could be 8-4ish
Lunch at home is generally cheaper and fewer calories than a takeaway sandwich
You bond with other home workers and get together over a coffee and a cake, to moan about working from home, while others slog it out in an office
You don’t have to try and look interested when a colleague prattles on about Eastenders, X-Factor, their dreams or everything they’ve eaten, or thought about eating, since you last saw each other 16 hours ago
Your multi-tasking skills are beyond compare – you can simultaneously participate in a conference call, straighten your hair, put on a washing and stir a bolognese sauce
You can skip out for a Friday morning yoga class
Your work wardrobe consists of one suit (albeit a little last year), a blouse a dress and an assortment of trackies, PJs, sweatshirts and cardis
You save hoooooours commuting
You don’t have to pay almost three quid for a coffee on the way to work
And the downs…
You’ve forgotten the art of putting makeup on in the morning, and when you do, your face looks like it belongs to someone else
You don’t have colleagues who can answer your random questions like ‘who is Jamie O’Hara and who’s that he’s frolicking on the beach with’ or ‘what do the Kardashians actually do’…and need to rely on the Daily Mail Online to keep up on trends (never a good idea)
You are responsible for EVERYTHING from buying stationery, accounts, training, the actual WORK, pension, sick pay, holiday cover, making the tea, buying the biscuits and emptying the bins
There’s no juicy guess who’s having an affair chat to help pass a boring Tuesday afternoon
You bond with the window cleaner and postman and consider inviting them to your Christmas night out
There’s no such thing as a proper holiday where you put – back two weeks on Tuesday out of office message up
You run a bit of a sub-post office/surrendered wife-service for your neighbours – signing for parcels, letting the electricity guy in to read the meter, feeding cats and an all round neighbourhood watch service (aka being nosey)…and you’re on first name terms with the Amazon man
You have no one to chat with about last night’s TV
You think the way you did it in 1999 is still quite modern
You sometimes forget it’s unacceptable in polite society to go out to the local shop for a pint of milk with uncombed hair, a coat (in summer) over Uggs over PJ bottoms while mumbling to yourself, as you compose an email reply in your head
You spend at least twenty quid per week in local cafes just to escape the screen
You can’t flirt with, or bribe, the young IT boy, into fixing your computer problems pronto
…you ARE the IT boy!
THE END
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You convey both sides with a wonderful sense of humor while touching on a little bit of REALITY. Each side often believes the other lives the desirable life (similar to people with naturally curly hair and naturally straight hair.) Always fun to see life from a personal perspective.
Author
Thanx Doc. It’s great to get your feedback
Author
Ha! Thanks for the super feedback Dr J. It’s true we often think the Grass is Greener on the other Side. I love producing the blog.
My pj’s are still on my hair uncombed and i felt pain when you skipped! Skipped to yoga. Good post and you made me think always a good sign. #Throwback Thursday works any day.
Author
Hi Ellen. Sitting in the PJ bottoms right now! Nothing changes. Thanks for reading and commenting. Jill x
HAHA! I enjoyed reading this. I often sit around in my PJs all day on a day off, and always end up taking in neighbours’ parcels.
However, I do get to gossip and hear all about people I have no idea about when I go to Uni or work.:-)
Author
Hi Judy – happens to all us home workers 🙂 I do miss good office gossip though. Thanks for reading and commenting. JIll
Since becoming the Haus Frau I too am the signer of all packages that come to my apartment building. The Deutsch Post guy and I are now friends, he even tries to speak English with me. (I think he is just horrified by my poor German skills). I occasional wear make-up to impress my cat.
Author
Haha. Hope the cat appreciates the effort you are going to !!
Enjoy your humour Jill. Though I still can’t get myself to enjoy those annoying GIF’s, I am guessing it is the thing to do. Nope, I won’t be fashionable by the looks of it 🙂
Author
HI Suz thanks for that. Yes I’ve stopped using Gifs now as I find them distracting. Cheers, Jill
Working from home, I live in pajamas 90%of the time. Messy bun, no makeup…I’m thankful every day that nobody can see me. Well, except my toddler, but he doesn’t care. He wont even wear pants half the time so who is he to judge anyway?!?!
I’d love to be able to work from home some of the time. I think I’d miss some interaction with colleagues I’d I didn’t go into the office at all. When I used to work a four-day week, my off-day would be spent in jogging bottoms and a nice fleecey top, snuggly on the sofa with the laptop on the arm of the sofa typing out blog posts. The dog and cat would be perched nearby, if not on me too! Probably really bad for my posture but I’m sure I was more productive. However, the temptation to wander into the kitchen and snack was huge!
Author
So true – I am forever grazing or just staring in the fridge – and my OOTD (which I found out recently means Outfit Of The Day) leaves a lot to be desired!! Thanks for popping on and commenting. JIll x
I love the tone in your writing voice in this post! As for someone who has always had a job (or two… or three) I can wholeheartedly relate! Thanks for this lovely post!
Author
Hi Diana, thanks so much for your lovely comments. Made my afternoon! Thanks for popping by. JIll
I really enjoyed this post. And oh boy! Every bit of it is true. And this is an author-who-works-at-home signing out!
Thankful Thursday #6
Author
Great to hear from you Shirley and delighted to know you enjoyed it. Jillx