Whats Your LEAST Favorite Thing About Working From Home

I don't mean to be prejudiced but... the "Felines" in the home office steal stuff... office supplies! They steal them and hide them behind the tv; pens, papers, thumb drives. The simply can't be trusted!

And my "Canine" co-worker is a pervert. Right not he has his head in his crotch. What a pig! And you're right... I WISH I had an HR department or a union rep to do to on this!

Nice!

First, there're lots of distractions. Second, you die of boredom since there's no one to
talk to or interact with "face to face".

The lack of stimulation in having conversations with a 5 year old girl.

Trying to explain to 'cavemen' (my family sans wife/kids) what it is I do.

Most people, including my wife, do not consider my home office MY OFFICE! Some think I don't have a real job because I work from home. I often feel like Rodney Dangerfield..."I don't get no (home office) respect." But my boss is fantastic!

So those comics are awesome.

The worst part about working from home is the lack of motivation from outward sources and the lack of a larger working interpersonal social life.

I think working from home presents some challenges from the typical 'day job'.

Like others have said, it is hard to convince people that you run a real business via the internet.

Hardest part = staying motivated. Love not having a boss breathing down my neck, but sometimes it seems a lot easier just to look at LOLCatz all day.

I miss working with people (though at the same time I don't miss that).

So many of these responses hit home. For me, I'm torn between my 2 least favorite things, which both have already been touched upon in this thread.

1. Lack of social interaction
2. Non-existent "home office" boundaries

I do have my own home-office, but people do not care. I have fought endlessly with my wife and family that when I cross that line that leads into my office, I am no longer here. I have been magically teleported to an office 30 minutes away, but alas, my cries have fallen on deaf ears. It's very hard to get any work done when, just when you get into "the zone" (and every entrepreneur knows what "the zone" is), and you're interrupted, which takes you out of the zone, and you can't just jump right back into the zone.

And of course, the lack of true social interaction. People tell me that I'm lucky to work at home, but I fire right back and tell them that they're lucky to work with people! Sure, I have people online that I talk to, but nothing beats having face time with actual people.

I would have to say no one to talk to would be the biggest downfall.

**********

Socializing with your colleagues, chatting, messing around is the biggest thing for me.

Working from home is also much better for people who have good self discipline and
work alone well. When trying to work on something with someone else I always feel
that they are slowing me down and there are too many distractions.

Definatly the lack of socializing with people. I get a bit restless and lonely. But on the other hand it does give me more time to meet up with friends and arrange to do things that I probably wouldn't have had time to do when working away from home.

Driving my teenage kids to school everyday ... laughs and chat in the car. Picking my kids up from school everyday ... more laughs and chat in the car! There are no disadvantages for me. I'm one happy work-at-homer

less exercise, less hangouts in short less socializing and physical activities.

Losing my social life pretty much, that sucked for a while but thank god I managed to restore everything once I started seeing good money

That's a huge advantage of working at home. Remind me never to get a "job", if people have to do that.

And no-one to tell you what "tps" stands for ... no, wait: that's another advantage ...

My hat is off to all of you that work from home with young families. It is not an easy thing to do. I think working from home is an over-hyped panacea!

Having a wife and two young children make it nearly impossible! I am searching for an office space "out of the house" now.

It's simple to think you can tell them "when I am working I am working! I am available for emergencies only. "

It's difficult - if not impossible for young children to understand that when their father is home, he is not accessible.

Working from home is a curse I would not wish on my own worst enemy.....

probably less time to socialise with those friends on the outside.

My least fav thing about working from home is being stuck inside. You sometimes forget there is an outside world out there.

Having to make all the decissions and all the mistakes.
Love the one about not being able to blame anyone else.

It will surely diminish your social life, like what you used to do (hang out with friends, go outdoor adventure and enjoying the nature, spend time with people outside your home). Although you can be the boss of your own self, it is very common for some that we might have this conception of justifying our own action because we are our own boss. It's like you can take a nap anytime you want to without ever thinking that your boss might find you in an office setting, hence, you can really take your nap anytime since you can justify that to yourself, that you are the boss, no one will require you to write a report on why you sleep during office hours.
And also, there are distractions in your own home even if you make a room as your office. Noises like people watching TV, baby crying or kids playing, or even the dog's bark are distracting since facing a computer, we need to have some quite space and moment to work.

I love not having an office at home. I usually start 'working' while sitting outside, then move to the couch in the living room. Then to the bed to watch TV and work. then to the pool under the umbrella.

Hit up starbucks a couple times a month.

Not sure why you need an office.

I hate being stuck inside (so I use Starbucks to 'get out')
I hate it when it doesn't matter that I have a really tight deadline and need to deliver asap - I still have to make dinner and feed the family
I hate that I work so darn hard and yet I'm told that I should maybe think of getting a job????

Yikes I feel for you on those.

Especially I hate that I work so darn hard and yet I'm told that I should maybe think of getting a job????

Best of luck to you. Side note interesting I was just emailing with a person from Kuala Lumpur yesterday from a job here on Warrior Forum.

For me, the biggest disadvantage to working from home is that my family and friends often think that because I work from home, I am FREE to run their errands...among other things...for them.

I've been asked to:

-wait for the cable company who has a 4 hour window to work with
-let the plumbers in and wait for them to fix a particular problem
-run over to their child's school and pick them up early
-babysit their sick children becuase they need to save their sick and vacation time for a "real" emergency
-pick up groceries from the grocery store because they don't have time
-run to Walmart for supplies

And that's just the half of it.

But I put my foot down and say no unless it is some kind of emergency.

Mind you, I've got two children of my own...

And don't get me wrong, I will help out when I can.

I have to constantly remind people that when I don't work, I don't get paid. I don't have sick time and vacation time saved up.

I have learned to say no and mean it!

The only thing I miss, as a full time work-at-home IM'er, is the lack of social interaction.

Sure I have my old friends, but I miss those casual evening beers after a long working shift, or those Monday morning chit-chats about what you did over the weekend, or those coffee+ciggie breaks at the smoking room, etc. To sum it up: human interaction.

Believe it or not, it's DANGEROUSLY easy to isolate yourself from the world as a full time work-at-home IM'er. In fact, the more successful, independent and self-sufficient I become, the more of a lonely wolf I'm turning into LOL.

Probably the monotony of work environment, it's a change from working in the office but one I'd gladly take. But then again any office environment gets monotonous quickly too. Working at home doesn't mean you're isolated from the world, some people seem to thrive on it, others cringe at the thought and would rather be in an office environment with people to feel the social interaction.