New Business Trends

Working from Home during the Holidays

Whether you work for a boss or run your own business from home, the school holidays pose a challenge that can set you back in more ways than one. Here are some handy tips to keep you sane and your business running smoothly.

I work for a boss – from home. And, no, it’s not all moonshine and roses. Let’s start with the benefits that are obviously going through your head as you read my statement about working from home. One key benefit is that I miss the morning and afternoon traffic. I do save on petrol and I do get up a half an hour later than I used to. I can sit at my desk and read emails in my pj’s while drinking my morning coffee. I can go to the gym around the corner at 7am and still be home in time to start work at 8:30.

Yet, when school holidays descend, I am less than happy to be stuck at home. Why, you may ask, since this would surely give one time with the family? Realistically, between the hours of 8:30 and 16:30 I am officially ‘at work’, even though I am at home.

My job is not as flexible as some other home businesses, like baking or sewing or even making your own soaps and candles. I’m a journalist and require a lot of ‘quiet time’ where I can plot feature articles, contact people for information, and basically just concentrate with the least amount of disturbance. This puts a damper on the concept of a ‘work-from-home-mom’ because I can’t really spend that much time with the kids. I’m here but I’m not here, is what I tell them. When the study door is closed, a soft knock in an extreme emergency is all that is allowed, otherwise it’s a ‘no go’ zone.

My children are in boarding school and come home every fortnight and school holiday so I’m fortunate in that I really do have a lot of ‘quiet time’ – but when the school holidays loom, I get a knot in my stomach and I panic about what I’m going to do with the kids to ‘keep them out of my hair’ while I’m working. Along with that goes a sense of guilt. I haven’t seen them in weeks, holidays are here and I’m holed up in the office.

The great benefit of working from home is indeed that I am available to my family and right here if they need me – but honestly, I may as well be miles away in an office.

A good friend and colleague of mine does online sales for our company and has a house full of children and a husband who needs her attention on a regular basis. She says she copes “but there are days….” and the conversation trails off as I can fully understand what she has to go through as a Work-from-home-mom.

Anyhow, so having gone through several long holidays where I had to juggle three lively boys and their boredom, I came up with a strategy. I now plan ahead.

I psyche myself up. Those holidays are a reality, come hell or high water, I cannot escape them

Taking into account the time of year (summer or winter), I write down a list of activities they can do at home that don’t cost me anything. Then I make a list of the activities they can do away from home in a safe environment (i.e. go with an older sibling or relative to the mall for a movie and games at Wonderland). At this point I also look around for projects they can do (get electrical or puzzle kits from the science centre, as well as art kits) – This works well for winter and summer and you only need to spend a little time with them, unless it is complicated. But you can still run back to the office, answer emails and do a few other important tasks in between

Do ‘Kid Swops’ with friends. Offer to take your friends kids off their hands for the weekend if they’ll take yours for a day or two during the week (this only works if the person is a stay at home mom themselves), and there are crèches and churches in most neighbourhoods with holiday programmes that will keep the kids busy for a good part of the day.

Lay down the rules. They need to know when they can bother you and what about. Tell them you can come out and spend time with them during your tea break and your lunch break. Reward them for not fighting and disturbing you with little gripes.

Take your breaks and go and play with them on their PS 2 for a few minutes or just chat to them.

Knock off at 4:30 (or whatever time it is you must end) as the kids will really want your full attention by then and you can’t be dashing back and forth doing last minute things during their time.

To be honest this took a good six months in my family to get used to and this is the first December holiday where I seem to have it sorted. So, if you’re still trying to get the family organized and to get them to understand that you are actually working, and not on holiday, like the rest of them – just persevere.

Working at Home as a business owner or even as a staff member is a trend that has become very popular in the business environment in recent years and is highlighted now by the necessity to cut costs in the recession we’ve just emerged from. So bear in mind it is going to take some getting used to by everyone.

About the Author

Jaqueline Martinez is a business journalist who travelled to Asia and the US teaching English before returning to South Africa to find her niche as an online editor and features writer with BizAssist Technologies. She has written articles covering topics such as Women in Business, Renewable Energy, Import, Export and Tax for SA Guide to Business Opportunities magazine and Home Business magazine.