Working From Home - or - The Case of the Missing 'Piggy' Socks

I have been working from home now for just over a year so I can speak for this small, secluded group. I have an optimistic outlook on the social and environmental positives that working from home for most everyone can bring for the future. The amount of fuel we will save that has been transporting our groggy, cranky, road rage filled selves from point A to point B, being the first. 

Less fender benders on the daily commute makes my heart smile. Less pollution is even better. Last week my shiny black car had a thin film of dust from sitting in the driveway for three whole days and I was totally fine with that. I will make sure to head to the car wash the next time I am out.

So much GOOD can come from working at home. I have a teen and I know where she is and what she is doing ALL of the time. She hates it, but I feel pretty confident as a working Mom knowing what she is doing, how long she will be out and who she brings home to 'Netflix and Chill' (not that kind of Netflix and Chill!) with on my basement couch. 

At work, I would worry when she called and more when she didn't. Maybe I would be busy in an interview and get the message as soon as I got out: Call Her Back ASAP- It's IMPORTANT! Panicked, I would call back and find out that she just wanted to know if I had seen her 'piggy' socks. Sheesh. Now, instead of being frustrated, I can look her in the eye and tell her to go clean her room. And check under the bed for 'piggy' socks. (insert eye roll here).

When I was in corporate, near the end when things were at their worst, I made a promise to myself that from now on when someone in my personal life was talking to me, I would stop what I was doing, turn toward them, look them in the eye and listen. If I can do it for strangers, I can do it for the most precious people in my life. It has done wonders for my personal development as a human being and even more so for my relationships. This was the beginning for me in feeling fulfillment in LIFE and WORK.

Don't get me wrong, home life does not keep me too busy to work. I'm not a slacker. I can get a heck of a lot done in a few hours... until my 20-year-old cat starts snoring behind me. Creepy, but I am getting used to it. He is on his last few kitty lives so I am glad that if anything happens to him, I will be the one to find out instead of my teenage daughter who gets out of school at 3 PM. I used to get home at 7 PM. How would she have handled that on her own? For four hours??? I don't have to think about it now. It is my responsibility so I will just have to figure out how I will handle it. Who am I kidding? I won't. I will call my husband. Moving on!

We all have busy lives. We all have responsibilities. We all just need to LEARN how to work from home. It's completely doable. Heck, when I think about how much time I spent at home when I was working a busy corporate life with just over an hour commute each day, I feel like I didn't get my mortgage worth. 

Now, even though I had plans last year for redecorating and I haven't done a damned thing since to even start, I can't complain. I'm not messing around with fabrics and paint, I am working! I am building a business! At least I can blame my own business. Since working from home, I don't even want to invite my friends over. I meet them at Starbucks. Yay Coffee! Yay Sugar! #strawsarebad

Working in an office is so RETRO. Look, we rarely use printers anymore so we stopped using filing cabinets. We don't ALL need to be 'filing' in to work every day for roll call to use software that can be downloaded on any good laptop these days. Sure, there are still fine professions where you need to show up to work, like Doctors, Nurses, the Plumber. Oh, and Firemen! But I feel that my profession is not that dire. I can complete tasks and hit goals in my fuzzy Harry Potter pajamas. No one ever need know. Except my cat. Only him.

What? We need time to build team trust! We need to work together as a team! Remote employees, I want to hear from you! Shared office spaces are in abundance here in Denver. This industry is growing. If I need to meet a client or candidate in person, I do not have to go to a Starbucks. BOOM! Anxiety about my excessive sugar/ coffee intake problem solved. I just need to memorize another Wifi password. No problem. I'll wear business casual, park my dirty car in the parking lot if I didn't get to the wash and hope no one sees me get out of it.

Want to brag about closing the Gender Gap? These issues with women needing more time off than men, ZAP! Gone. Women have been managing busy lives since Eve. Men got this too. Want to help men be better Dad's? Let them work from home. Ask them. Better yet, if you are a Dad, I want to hear your voice. Give them a chance to be involved. I mean REALLY involved. Let them look for 'piggy' socks sometimes too. They deserve to enjoy the nurturing satisfaction of finding a clean tee 5 minutes before the kids should be out the door. That's a Super Dad. They deserve to feel that 'I was there for' (fill in the blank) too.

Lack of qualified candidates. Hiring managers have issues with finding the right candidate because their offices are located in Marfa, Texas? No worries. The world is your candidate oyster! I have a TON of candidates who can't relocate because they have RESPONSIBILITIES aka: kids, elderly parents, PERSONAL LIVES. This is a huge issue right now as we are all becoming well too aware.

Let's all just start feeling more in control, more harmony, balance and confidence in our work and personal lives by being where it matters most. We can be better workers for it. If for you that is home, then so be it! If you are a company who could potentially employ remote workers for the jobs you need filled, please consider it. We bust a$$ on a regular.

 P.S. We only ever found one 'Piggy' sock.