For Those Folks That Work from Home

I only work from home when my son is at school and my daughter at preschool. If I were doing a teleconference or something that really can not be disrupted, I personally would hire a babysitter or local teenager to come play with my preschooler while I worked. I sometimes will get a little work done on my laptop when my preschooler is home in the afternoon, but only stuff that can be interrupted...not work phone calls or meetings. I usually will put on a movie for her to watch if I really need to work on something when she is home.

I work from home and I LOVE it! I can do it with my kids in the room with me, or I take my laptop to the beach/ park/ vacation and still get paid. It does NOT have to be as difficult as some make it! What company are you working with? I'm in the process of expanding my business, so if you are interested let me know!

You get a sitter or they go to day care.
You can not work and watch your kids at the same time.
A job is a job - even if you're working from home.

I've been telecommuting for 15 yrs. 3.5 hours is a long time for your kids to be in the house without bothering you. Send them to aftercare which will allow them to do something instead of sitting around watching tv.

When I started working from home it was a hard adjustment on my friends and family. Most of them didn't understand that I was home but I was working so no you can't drop over for a visit. No I can't go out to breakfast or lunch for a couple hours. No I can't play a board game until after my day is finished.

Once you get into the routine you can see if you can make some changed to have the kids home a couple days after school instead of sending them to aftercare 5 days a week. But from the start treat it like an office job and don't juggle the kids and work at the same time. It will be too stressful

I will reiterate that it depends on the ages of your kids. My six-year-old is excellent at following directions, but even he will come in while I'm working (and on the phone!) to tell me something "important" - such as, he just noticed that the cheese he was eating was the same kind he ate yesterday (or something like that). To him, it is important; to me, not so much. It is really irresistible to some kids to not go to mom when they know she is right upstairs and, gosh, it's just a little, small interruption and surely she won't mind! If aftercare is an option - take it. It also gives you the piece of mind in knowing the kids are well-looked after, and you won't be interrupted.

Depends on the ages of your kids, and how well they get along unsupervised.
But really, if they can go to aftercare send them there. Your employer is going to be expecting you to be 100% focused on your work, and kids at home WILL be distracting.
Congrats on the new job!

My kids went to daycare when I worked from home. No way was I going to get any work done while they were running around. They were 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8 at the time.

Now they are 7, 9, and 11, but I think I would still find someone to care for them. They won't want to sit quietly, do their homework with no help, get to their activities, etc alone. So until my kids were older, I would still find someone to care for them. Or can you switch your hours so you work around their schedules?

We run our company from home so we make the "rules". I office downstairs and hubby offices upstairs.

Our daughter is now 19 and lives on her own. When she was in school, I managed to have my day pretty complete with she got home from school if she needed anything, help with homework, etc. That way, hubby could still be working and there was no interference. My hubby does a lot of work at night in the wee hours so when I get up and going in the mornings, my inbox is usually full and I do my regular work... I manage all accounting, investing, travel, taxes, etc functions. My day is usually complete with exception of a few pieces of paperwork by early afternoon. Of course when running you own business, you are always on 24/7 because you never know when someone needs something asap. We are in raw materials, FWIW.

That said, if I hired someone and trusted them enough to have the self discipline and self motivation to work from home and getting money from me.... I would have a set rule that the children had another caregiver in the home or outside childcare.

Another issue is pets. Make sure you are in an area where the pets barking at squirrels, people on street, etc will not interfere with phone calls. It is really irritating as a business owner to speak with someone on the phone to manage business and hear pets barking in the background and children being loud as well.

Best wishes to you on your new adventure!

This totally depends on the ages of your children. If they are 8 and up, you might be able to get by with the "don't bother me unless someone's bleeding or on fire" instructions, but you need to have some amazing structure planned for 3.5 hours of uninterrupted time. They have to be complete self starters and kids who don't fight or bicker. I can't imagine this working for most families - my stepdaughter tried it but found she could only work after their bedtime. The kids always come in for "just one thing" and it builds a whole bunch of frustration and resentment. One hour on their own, fine. 3.5 hours is probably a complete fantasy.

Otherwise you need to do what every working mom does - have a daycare plan in place. Whether you work inside or outside the home, you need coverage for kids. You might get by with a mother's helper type sitter since you will be in the home in an emergency, but keeping the noise level down and restraining yourself from going out every time you hear an argument, a loud TV, or the banging of the screen door is going to take some amazing willpower.

E.,

How old are your kids?? I started working from home in 2006. My kids were 4 and 6. They HAD to be in daycare as I was working. Do you have animals? Dogs or cats that might make noise when you are on the phone?? That's another thing to consider. Kids playing with the dog and the dog starts barking...I don't know what you are doing, so that might not make a difference.

Now they are 12 and 14. So they understand when I am WORKING and on the phone that they need to behave and let me work.

One of the things that you MUST do - is get ready for work EVERY DAY!! No kidding...you may not get "dressed up" but you need to keep the routine of shower and dressing - it will help keep you focused for WORKING.

Another thing? Walk away from work. Got to. Working from home means that you might not be able to "leave" work. With my job? It's possible that someone will call me at 10PM at night - I need to answer the phone - they might be in Hawaii or Afghanistan or they have an interview the next AM and something happened. It's tough.

A schedule will work - only if your kids can understand what is "important" to interrupt...fire, broken glass, etc. not my cereal is empty or the show is over.

It was hard on my husband when I first started working from home - he thought "more stuff would be done" during the day - since i was here after all...uumm..NO..I'm WORKING....that will be hard or difficult for many for the first few weeks to few months.

Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

Good luck!

My employer had us sign a contract attendant to working from home in which we committed to having an adult (other than ourselves) available to supervise any children in our home under the age of eleven during our working hours. We opted for off site aftercare (my parents pick him up from school and hold onto him until my work day is done and I collect him from their house) to manage our 4 year old. There is no way I could work from home without physical separation.

Best of luck navigating the changes attendant to working from home.
F. B.

Even with a babysitter here with my kids downstairs, I find it incredibly hard to work from home with them here. They're noisy and needy. I only have to do that on school holidays (and did for a while while our son was on home hospitalization) and that's plenty.

In your position, I really would find off-site childcare. It's very, very hard to work with the kids in the house.

My husband works from home.
He is not responsible for the care of the children at all, that falls to me. When they were little he could keep an ear out while they napped and I hopped in the shower quickly. If he has to take a call he tells the kids to be quiet and they do it. They are so used to it. They hear his phone ring they immediately shut up. If my husband has a call coming up he warns the kids. He then closes the door to the room. He does use the mute function as much as possible, just in case, for extra security. If he's not on a call he just works through the noise of playing. If he's working on a particularly nasty project where he needs to concentrate and the kids' noise is too much he again closes the door and tells them to keep it down.
It actually stipulates in my husband's contract that to be able to work from home, he can not be the main caregiver of any children. I could not leave the kids at home and go run our errands and leave them with him while he is on the clock. Depending on the age of your children, you may need to consider hiring someone to come to your house for those few hours or enroll them in after school care.

It is sometimes hard when kids are home. My DD has learned that when I am working, she needs to be patient. When DH works from home and is on a conference call, he is in another room and she must be bleeding or something to interrupt him. He says on mute as much as possible.

Most of the time she is in school. When I must work and she is home, I take time to set her up with expectations/snack/TV/homework first. I take breaks. I cannot just ignore her for whatever time I have left. If she is off school, I set her up with movies or try to arrange playdates. Even if other kids are here, it is easier if they have playmates. You might also ask if you can charge time before the kids are up or after they go to bed for things like emails or editing. How old are your children? Do they come home by themselves or do you need to pick them up?

When we have meetings and I must be on GoToMeeting or similar, I tell DD what to expect, if I can be muted or not and if it is a training or a meeting (training I mostly just listen/type).

As necessary, find a sitter or friend or playdate. Understand the limits of your child's abilities to entertain him/herself and get along and try to plan your day accordingly. Everyone has to work together and it may take some time to find the right rhythm for the new schedule.

ETA: Wild Woman brings up a good point. Make sure your DH understands that work is still work, even if you are at home vs in an office. I had arguments with my DH over what was truly feasible in one day. Sure, I'll throw in laundry or pick up a sick kid or do dishes, but don't expect dinner on the table and a scrubbed house because I haven't been eating bonbons all day. If I have to stop my clock, I stop my money. When he got a new boss + had to work from home for a period due to extended circumstances, he started to clue in. Now, if he's here and DD is at school we are in different places in the house. I cannot handle my customers + him. He's actually been more disruptive than DD!

Since you are discussing after care they must be in grade school so I'd so - no. If it was just one kid you could possibly do this but three there will be too many interruptions. I've worked from home and you have to be probably even more focused then in the office to be sure no one thinks your slacking off. Put them in after care. They 3.5 hours they are home will not be quality hours and your career will be at risk.

I think that, depending on the age/s of your child/ren, 3.5 hours is probably doable. I'm just basing this on MY 11 year old's ability to handle himself for that length of time. I DO find it MUCH harder to work from home ( which I do occasionally) when my child is home.
But my Mac is right in the family room--you've got a dedicated spaced with a door that CLOSES so you're light years ahead!
If it involved smaller kids, all day? I'd definitely do off site care.
Good luck!

You don't mention how old they are and if they are loud and crazy while playing or have the ability to do quiet play.

When I work from home and my daughter is home, she understands my need for isolation. She also understands that when I am on the phone, I need for her to be quiet and give me space. Of course, just because she understands it, doesn't mean that she isn't disruptive every once in a while.

I'd try to set some rules and boundaries. Only you know your kids and what they are capable of. If screaming and fighting and calling you constantly is their MO, then you might need to get some help.

oh my, working from home is SO much harder than it sounds. i was all tickled that i could do some of my work from home and keep my daycare-intensive kids home for some of the time, but it honestly ended up being more about me being cranky and snarly because my poor kids had the wacky idea that being home with mom meant mom was there for 'em.
sometimes daycare is just necessary so you can get on with the task at hand and be fully present for your kids when they're home.
being a working mom is so hard.
i wish i'd had MP when i was deep in the throes of it!
not that i'd have had time to read it<G>.
good luck, mama!
khairete
S.

Like others have said, depends on the age and your work demands. If they're older and you can step away for 10-15 min an hour and make it up earlier/later it might work.

I'm off when my kids get out of school so I don't have to worry about it, but in the summer and on breaks they go to camps because I can't have them home when I'm working except for short periods of time (they are 11 & 12). I wouldn't waste my time with a bulletin board, it's a nice idea but in all honesty even if they follow it you'll still be tuned in to the conversations/arguments/etc from downstairs.

It depends on the ages and level of self-sufficiency of your children. It depends on the kind of work you are doing (on the phone or not). It depends on your ability to focus when they are in the house (an area I struggle with) even if they are being quiet. It depends if you need to work specific hours or can be flexible (I worked best until noonish and then again in the evening and while she was sleeping, with a several hour break in the middle to focus on family things).

You could try it with them home and see how it goes, with a Plan B ready in case it just doesn't work.

It depends on the ages of your kids, and the flexibility of your work schedule. I usually stop work when the kids get home from school and then either work after bedtime for another few hours or get up super early to put in a few hours before the household is awake again. Depending on the kids' schoolwork, sometimes I work as they do their homework...if they don't need too much help. It was actually easier when the kids were a little younger. They could play for a good hour by themselves after a nice snack. Then I'd prep dinner as they did their homework. I seem to have less time now that there is more homework to manage..and more activities to drive to.

We did aftercare when we had meetings during after school hours, or if we had big project deadlines and really had to concentrate. The kids were there once a week or so. They loved it.

My kids also learned fairly quickly to stay quiet when I am on a phone call. When they were smaller, I would let them watch a quick show only when I had to take a business call. They were super quiet. ;)

I've never had a problem working at home with them. When they were 7 and 9 we started keeping them home with us all summer. They play and do their daily "mom" homework as we work. They love it and so do we. When they were younger, we had a summer nanny and camps to fill the time. Now they are thrilled to have time at home to play with the neighbors and just chill in the summer. It's always a balancing act, since they want us to play and do fun things, but it's so great to be with them.

A routine really helps to keep up with household work and regular work. When you work at home, they tend to blend. I would much rather work than do laundry and dishes, so it's not a huge issue, but I have to force myself to throw a load in and keep up with the kitchen. Since we're here all day, it doesn't stay clean.

I also get ready for work each morning as if I'm heading out to work. Shower/dress so you feel focused and ready for the day. When I don't do this, my attitude and work suffers.

Honestly, I was more distracted by coworkers at my old job, than I am with my kids at home. I get a ton more actual work done at home. Less meetings, less pop-ins and more work.

It is stressful though. It's hard to manage other people's expectations, since you are home and they don't understand you are working full-time. Family and friends like to schedule things during the day and it takes a while to convince them that you are really working. I also think I am in-between being a stay at home mom and a working mom, so you have double the responsibility. I try to volunteer at school, do the activity driving, do the after school routine, do nice dinners and household upkeep. It's exhausting. There's a lot of pressure, since you feel like you should be able to do it all...since you are home. Let me tell you right now, cut corners where you can and take your expectations down a notch. If you are working from home, you are still working. My husband has to remind me often that I am trying to do too much.

It seems like you have received a lot of answers already but I just thought I'd share too.
I have been working from home since I was pregnant with my first (who is now 6). In my first work-from-home position, when I just had one baby- I had a nanny. My job did involve travel from day-to-day so I needed someone to be here. When I had my second daughter (who is now 3), I sent both my kids to daycare. Although it seemed crazy that I was home all day and they were in daycare, I knew I wouldn't get anything done when two little ones were under-foot. I will say, there were times when they wouldn't stay at daycare all day...it just depended on my work load. I also would take conference calls where I didn't need to speak while walking with my girls in the double stroller around the neighborhood.
In my current position, I work strictly from home (no travel) and only have to go in to our office once every other month or so. My younger child is in preschool and stays for aftercare the three days a week that I work. My older daughter is in kindergarten and stays for aftercare or clubs.
Sometimes, there will be a day off or holiday when I have work and the kids don't have school. I I will try to work around the kids and it's so hard. I get agitated with them if they are "bothering" me but I also know they just want my attention. So, it's tough....working from home has tremendous advantages and I can't imagine if I had to go back to working outside the home because I have become so spoiled working at home.

Just like everything else, it's about finding balance. If your kids are old enough and don't need you supervising every moment, you might find you can make it work without having them stay for aftercare. But keep in mind, it may stress you out more trying to juggle work and kids at the same time. You and your kids might appreciate your time together more when you can focus on only them.
Good luck! I hope it works out well for you:-)

I've worked from home for about 8 years. My son is 9 now and he comes home and gets his snack and gets his homework done without needing to bug me too much. When he was younger he went to aftercare because it was too diificult for me to concentrate with him running around. I think it really depends on how old your kids are, their general behavior, and how self sufficient they are. i.e. If they're downstairs fighting with each other the whole time will you be able to focus on your work?

Okay, my questions that you didn't mention...how is your older daughters behaviors going to be managed without you there for her? How will she stop the behaviors you've mentioned before? Is she still hurting herself when she gets frustrated or angry? Who's going to help her when she's upset?

I had to go back through your questions for 2 years for you to mention your youngest child other than my girls or my 2 daughters. Your questions never mentioned the age of the youngest...until 1 post way back in 2012 when the kids next door said "We don't know you".

So, your girls are 10 and 8. They're old enough to be alone in the house playing with you in another part of the house.

They are old enough to be in school all day while you work. When it's time for them to come home it's time for you to take a break or stop working for the day.

Have a snack ready for them and enjoy the evening with them. Then if you need to do some more work once they're in bed.

You shouldn't work on the weekends when they're out of class either, just my opinion. But you're old enough to know that you're a good mom and managing your time for work isn't that hard if you can stay with it.