Hi Lynn, I'm sitting here in my PJ's at 12.30pm working from home and I thought of you - how you often mention working in your PJ's in your blog posts. I wondered if you could tell me how you do this without feeling guilty. I feel like I'm doing something wrong and even a bit anxious (weird eh?).
Cheers, Trish
I had to smile when I got this note from Trish. 🙂 As you can see in the photo above, and her reference to other posts & pictures I've shared in the past, I'm often working in my comfies - and curled up with my great dane on the chaise, even!
Do I feel guilty? Not in the least! But there was a time that I did...
That time was years ago, mind you, when it was less accepted to work from home - which I've been doing for more than 14 years now (since the late 90's).
I remember about 10 years ago when I was working poolside all summer. I forwarded my business number to my cell phone, which was sitting on a cooler beside my lawn chair.
This was back when I was still doing service-based business, and if a client called I would quickly quiet the kids who were splashing in the pool before I took the call.
I wouldn't necessarily say I felt "guilty" about it... but I did feel like my clients probably wouldn't pay my rates if they knew about my (awesome) work environment. 😛 LOL. Personally I didn't feel my surroundings affected the quality of my work, but there's a little thing called perceived value that concerned me...
There was one time that was particularly funny, when I had taken a phone call from a brand new client I really wanted to land. We were in the cabin when the call came in, and I gave the children my usual "this is work" hand signal and took the call.
My daughter, 5 years old at the time, knew that any questions had to wait until I got off the phone.
All of a sudden I hear this loud popping and snapping and see lightning coming out of the kitchen! Knowing my daughter had gone in there, I dropped the phone mid-conversation and ran in there to rescue her.
It turns out she had put tinfoil in the microwave. 😯 Sweet that she was making her own lunch. Sweet that she didn't ask questions, though she told me later she wasn't sure if she could put it in there but knew not to ask while I was on the phone (lol).
I got her out of there and stopped the microwave, and just busted out laughing. You had to see the look on her face standing there watching it explode before her little eyes. LOL. Then I remembered the phone...
I picked the phone up off the floor where I'd dropped it and heard the lady laughing hysterically. We both had a good laugh over it when I told her the story, and she said it was neat that I was able to work from home with my children. I got the contract too, by the way. 🙂
Of course, now it's much more accepted to telecommute or work from home, and home based businesses have gained more respect. It's not something I ever really think about any more at all.
It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm wearing. The quality of my work speaks for itself. I might be curled up in bed with the flu in my PJ's, or sitting in an airport doing email from my smart phone. But most of the people I'm communicating with... are receiving my content or email in the exact same conditions on their end.
All said and done, it simply doesn't matter. It's certainly not something to worry over or feel anxious about. Obviously you wouldn't go into a corporate job dressed in your bathrobe, or lounge around with your feet up on the desk while working through tasks in an office, but hey - that's the perks of working from home! 😉
What about you - do you have any reservations about your home office environment or your work-at-home dress code? Do you hide the fact that you're at home when talking with clients or merchants?
Best,
About Lynn Terry
I've struggled with this same thing. Locally we're about 10 years in the past for workplace conditions and mindset, so I usually meet people in a public place known for work meetings, like Panera. My biggest issue is wanting to answer questions like this one via video for my TV site and YouTube, but not having the hair/clothes, etc. fixed up to look presentable. Yet, my work quality is the same, sometimes even better, when I'm barefoot in comfy shorts & a ratty old t-shirt.
The best part about working from home is when that idea strikes you at 3am you have the luxury of taking a nap the next day. LOVE that. 🙂
~Kristen Eckstein
When my sister is shoveling herself out of her driveway at six in the morning, heading off to deliver mail in nasty weather - I feel compassion for her - and wish she could enjoy staying in like me. It's not guilt... but it comes close.
I honestly don't feel guilty about working at home. If my daughter is at home when I have to take a call, I always mention at the beginning that they may hear her. I do try to schedule calls on days she's not here but it doesn't always work. Most of the time, either the other person understands what it's like to work with children around or they are surprised its possible to actually get anything done.
I will say I've been embarrassed a time or two. One morning I woke up late for a 9 am Skype call, snatched my laptop out from under the bed and accidentally answered with video, hair all a mess and in my pjs. o_O
I don't feel guilty, but I hate to explain why I'm still in my pj's. So I slip a housedress over them and work away at my computer. Then if someone comes to the door, I actually look like I'm dressed - which I do eventually do:)
I don't feel guilty about working from home anymore - I love it! Trouble is, it now seems a chore to put on full make-up & business dress on the days I go networking or to meetings. Can relate to Erica's Skype experience - am always very careful which button I press to answer calls 🙂
Well, when I started working from home, I did not feel gilty at all. It was funny and I liked it!
I didn't really care what others think about me, I was just very happy that I was able to work from home with my computer.
However, now I would like to work from office... people think I am crazy. But here's why I want it - I know my productivity will increase if I do that, because sometimes I do not accomplish any work from home at all... How about you, Lynn? Do you think that working from office is more productive?
Thanks Lynn & everyone else, I'll keep working on not feeling guilty working in my PJ's, I think it goes back to the days when the kids were all still home and we always got lots of visitors, so I always tried to look respectable, now days it's usually just me & Gus (my Whippet). We are a very lucky bunch aren't we?
When I first started working from home I had this same complex. I got up, went straight to the shower, got all spiffed up...My husband seriously used to make a point of telling people about how I carried on just as though I was still working "out there."
Four years later? Well, let's just say I haven't heard him tell people that in quite a while. Though he has told me that he would like to come home sometimes and not find me my PJs. lol
Coming from a previous corporate background of suits, heels and a briefcase, I have never felt guilty about working from home in whatever clothes the mood strikes me.
Do I feel empathy for some of my neighbors who still do the daily 9 -5 grind of the living dead.. sometimes, yes.
Hi lynn,
I love working from home with the kids surrounding me. I have done videos with the kids making faces in the background. My visitors and clients seem to enjoy it and love commenting on the kids. They are my ice breaker.
ohhh...I love working from home but do feel a bit guilty when my husband leaves for work every morning. He can't wait to retire and start working from home too.
I've been home with kids for 15 years, but only recently started working from home. I especially love my mornings free of the normal chaos I see friends and family go through. Guilt? Nah . . . Some of them don't even realize how good I've got it. They feel "sorry for me" for being "stuck" at home all day. Haha!
I love working in my pjs. Of course my pjs are technically sweats so if I do have to jump up to answer the door, I still look sorta decent. However, if I have to really be productive I'll "dress up". This consists of putting on a dress or a polo top and some khakis. Now if I have to do a video and my hair is not done yet, I just put on a wig and keep it moving. I'm always afraid that if I wait the four hours it will take me to twist my hair, I'll forget what I was going to say.
I am guilt free these days, but there were days when I had that guilt feeling, especially early on in my journey. I think this guilt thing applies more for women than for men working from home, I think society casts a different light on women entrepreneurs than men - which of course is silly and we know that, but we still get that "weird" feeling at first.
If I had left my kids to go to work, put them in after school care, had someone else do their homework with them, I would have felt guilty. And yes, it took me a while to get over the guilty feeling that just because I didn't get up and put on pantyhose that I wasn't *doing* enough - even though I was.
A friend of mine once said, "The guilt is delivered with the placenta." No matter which path we choose, I think we (especially women) all need to just get over that feeling of guilt.
Sure, we can work from home and the office with the same result, but when you work at home you are gulity because you stay in a better conditions than the people in the office. I still feel guilty that I sometimes work from home. I don't know how much time I will need to get rid of it.
I do a job of 5 hours work and spend on freelancing jobs 9 hours.It is good to do work at home.It is more rewarding.
I mostly feel delighted about the whole thing. I've got it good and I know it. I feel bad sometimes if I have to work when my kids want me, but most days I have a good balance.
Working from home blows away driving 2+ hours back and forth to NYC. I left the guilt in my truck. I just wish I was at the point to stay home all the time.
----Guilt Free Bob
Feel Guilty? Me? Someone whose online handle is CorpRebel?
Bwahahahahaha
Nah ... Most people don't understand what I do anyway, so there's no reason for me to feel any guilt. heh heh
I really have no use for much of the formality in the usual business world. Heck, you won't find a suit, let alone a tie anywhere in my home. I'm a casual sort of guy. LOL
Happy 4th!
Rick Wilson aka CorpRebel 😎
Most of my college friends laughed at me when I started my home business ,and laughed at me again when I failed miserably. So, I've been working from home for about 7 years now without any guilt. Now I silently laugh at them.
Bo
Neah, it's a job like any other. Sometimes i even want my 8 hour job back, at least i had some kind of schedule then.
Hi,
I don't feel guilty working from home. I completed my engineering in 2004. Then i worked with a MNC for 2 years. Then i started working from HOME. I don't feel guilty or bad at all but yes sometimes people ask stupid questions like, "Dint you get a good job" blah blah. I never mind these things because one day will come when I'll be successful like any other person.
Regards
Acczia
Hi,
it's up to you how do you balance your life. working from home never makes you feel guilty,,not at all. But yes if you do in wrong way then sometimes it can cause.
Regards
John Paul