Work from Home
3 Reasons Your Family Matters When Working from Home
Your family needs to buy into your work from home plan.
Almost once a day when I work from home I have one of my daughters blowing through the door into my workspace either yelling, screaming, or crying. The other daughter has done or is doing something to insight chaos.
Sometimes I’m reviewing some long documents for work. Other times, I might be on the phone with a customer or an attorney. Once, I was in the middle of getting cussed out by an angry customer for no reason other than I was the guy who picked up the phone.
While it doesn’t happen all that often when I am on the phone, more often than not, I will have my kids blowing through that door. Sometimes I just have to lock it because they keep coming in and out.
Working from Home with Family
When you work from home and you have a family, you will need to be prepared for these sorts of situations to happen. And when they do, you need to have a plan. But that plan has to be put in place before you start working from home.
In fact, everything you do when it comes to working from home must be focused on your family too. Otherwise, you will cause more chaos than good. And probably lose your work from home privilege.
We must consider the needs and expectations of our family before we jump into working from home. Otherwise, you will not experience the joy and freedom that is available when working from home is available.
You will need to think of these three things before you start working from home:
- What you expect from your family when you are working.
- What they expect of you during the workday.
- How to manage broken expectations.
When you can consider these things when it comes to working from home and your family, you will have the ability to experience the greatest joys of working from home!
Your Expectations of Your Family
What your expectations of your family during work hours must be clearly communicated to them. Otherwise, you being home, will be a free-for-all. When we set the appropriate expectations, your children or spouse will know when they can interrupt, or when to stay clear.
You need to let your family know when it is okay for them to come and talk with you and when it is not. They need to know if a closed-door is okay to open, or should never be touched.
They also need to know your work timeframe. Your schedule is their schedule. And if you don’t make it clear when you are working, they won’t know when you will have lunch with them, or take a break.
Your expectations must be clear.
Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for being super frustrated with your family. And this will detract from the joy of working from home and being near your family.
Your Family’s Expectations for You
You need to know what your family expects from you when you are working from home. It may not be all that much. Or they could have a lot of expectations for you. It will depend a lot on the nature of your work and your family’s needs.
They might expect you to always be available for lunch and breaks. You might not realize that they expect an open door policy. Or they may need you available to settle the occasional dispute during the workday between siblings.
When expectations are clear for your family, they will not interrupt you as much. They will also understand when you have difficult work to do, or when you might have a lighter schedule.
Their expectations of you will save you a lot of trouble.
And it will help you get your work done, and enjoy the beauty of the work-life balance you desire. It will also help you know how to better plan your day or schedule.
What Happens When Expectations are Broken
Sometimes, we can have all the expectations in the world and still break right through them. This happens occasionally at my house. Yet, it doesn’t ruin my work from home experience.
This is true because we have a plan.
When an expectation is broken or needs to be changed, we can talk through it in our household. We remember why the expectation is placed. Then we discuss whether or not is fair and doable.
Sometimes, things need to change. Other times, they stay the same and we reconcile.
Recently, we had my door left open, and I was on the phone. My daughters were screaming at each other, and I was trying to focus, and I lost my cool, but the call on mute, and shouted out the room at my kids.
Afterward, we talked about what happened and some ways we could have dealt with it better. Especially since I left my door open, life is expected to go on as usual. Which means if they are yelling, screaming, or playing loudly, I can’t get upset about it.
We reconciled and reminded each other of expectations and moved on.
Takeaways
Now, your family is only part of your work from home experience. Sure, we have a lot of benefits to working from home. And we need to have a solid set up in order to succeed.
But, your family is important to the work from home experience. And if you neglect them and don’t set expectations, you won’t enjoy your work from home time.
Remember the three reasons you need to think of your family:
- What you expect from your family when you are working.
- What they expect of you during the workday.
- How to manage broken expectations.
How does working from home go with your family at home? What would you do if you could work from home with your family around? Share in the responses below.
Jack Heimbigner is an author, creator, and coach. He lives in the country in Eastern Washington State with his family. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Start achieving your dreams with my 7-Day Living the Dream Email Course.