Making the Transition
From Company Office to Home Office:
By Julie Adamen

The last in a series on utilizing our best assets to retain and attract managers

Last month's article brought us a slew of phone calls regarding working at home. Interestingly, most were from higher-end professionals who had been in the business 10 or more years and worked for management companies. All were female. One was an attorney. So, what does this all mean? We aren't the only ones who see the CID industry as ripe for home based workers...

Here is what they all said: How do I get my boss to at least let me TRY working from Home? Where do I start?

Before you jump off the deep end and into your boss's office, we recommend you have a game plan. If you are the first in your firm planning to work from home come hell or high water, there is a terrible burden on you - and no one else. You must be well prepared in presenting your case and have a viable plan for implementing the changeover. You must be able to make the transition to Home Office as smooth as glass, and then maintain a higher than average standard of professionalism (but no pressure!). Why set such high standards? Because your success paves the road to the future for yourself, your firm and for prospective co-workers. And in the larger sense, you are taking the first steps to the future of community management. Let's see if we can help.

Presenting Your Case: First Things First

Make sure you know why you want to work from home, and develop your thought process from there. If you want to work from home so you can work in shorts and a T-shirt (or sweats) is not really a valid reason - at least not in your boss's eyes. Is your commute a killer? Do you live closer to the community(ies) you manage than the office? Do you need to pick up your kids earlier than your work schedule and traffic allow? Do you have elderly parents that need attention? These types of issues in your life carry far more weight than just wanting to work in your jammies when discussing a home office with a supervisor.

Put yourself in your boss's position. There you are, managing lots of things at once. All of a sudden in walks one of his/her best employees with an idea that is going to take time and attention - and upset the current applecart. Naturally, there will be a lot of objections. ("How will you maintain focus?" "Will we slip in priority?" "How do we know you are doing your job before it's too late?" "How much is this going to cost?") In the weeks prior to your actually going to your boss, write down any possible objections you might encounter. Then have a logical, well thought out resolution to as many of those objections as you can.

Prepare a written report with as many copies as you are going to need. Think of them as blueprints for the goal you want to achieve. It shows your boss that you have thought this out, and that you are serious at making this work.

Have a plan for getting those phone calls to you and your voicemail. This is a huge issue, and can't be overlooked. Do your homework. Call the phone company and find out about call transfers that are seamless: the person calling doesn't know if they are going to your office, your home, or Maui. Have all the pertinent facts at hand, along with costs, and the name of the contact. Technology has not stood still - this service is available.

Making a Smooth Transition: Be Willing to Compromise, and Do Your Homework

Start out part time. This is the first great compromise - but it may end up what you want to do as time goes by. Starting out part time is not only good for your boss's peace of mind; it'll help you with the work at home transition (more on that later). Try working from home on your "least busy" days - maybe Tuesday through Thursday, days you spend most of your time on walk throughs, or whatever you and your boss can agree on.

Don't expect your firm to completely setup with a Home Office. Although it would be a sweet deal, it's not likely that you will get your firm to set you up with the latest in total office equipment. Far from it, especially if you are going to be the first to work from home. If you already have a fairly new PC w/ modem at home, you are about 1/3 of the way there. Be prepared to offer to purchase a home copy machine (for small quantities of copies), paper, toner, and small office essentials. Part of the deal may be: If this works out, they reimburse you for a percentage of the large office equipment after a successful six months at home - or - they give you a monthly stipend for office equipment and essentials.

Have kids? Get daycare. a nanny or baby-sitter. Being the work from home parent of a three year old, if I were my boss (Wait - I am!) I wouldn't let me work without childcare. Rust me, it can't be don' Assure your boss you have made provisions for the care of your kids.

Maintaining the Utmost in Professionalism

Respect your Employer, and Yourself. Your employer took a huge leap of faith in allowing you to work at home. Yes, the pressure is on you to perform to 120% of your ability when you work at home. If others are going to walk in your shoes, you are the example; you are the one your boss will remember forever as the one who made it work or the one who messed it up for everyone else.

Now That You Are Home...

Well, it happened, you did it, and you are working from home three days per week. Is it everything you thought it would be? Yes, and no. The transition is not that easy - especially for Type A personalities.

Get dressed, and be somebody. Not just like you were going to the office, but working in your jammies often has a tendency to stifle your productivity. Even if it is jeans and a T-shirt, put on your home worker's uniform. Taking care of your personal appearance also helps: Men, comb your hair and shave. Women, blow-dry that hair!

Have set hours. Although these are somewhat flexible, set general working hours for yourself, and stick to them.

Stay in touch with your industry. Attend functions, go to lunches, and stay in touch. It's easy to blow off a function when you work from home, but you still need all those contacts and that education!

Determine which hours are your most productive. Can you write well in the morning? Do better at rote work in the afternoon? Structure your home office work to fit those needs. You'll be a lot happier.

In Conclusion...

The professional management company or the professional manager is the only side of the community management industry that can truly bring about change. Change in how we think, change in how we do things, change in how we manage. We started out this series of articles by stating that to attract new staff and retain our current staff; our industry needs to look to its greatest asset: Flexibility. Working from home is one of the ultimate assets to be exploited for the future good of our firms, our employees and ultimately, our communities. Why? Because utilizing this asset, and others, may just keep those experienced managers from moving on to greener pastures, and attract more qualified individuals’ from other industries to ours.