I had always thought that working a day or more from home in a job that provided a stable income with high job security seemed like the best of both worlds. So when I returned to work from maternity leave working from home seemed like an ideal way to earn enough money while also gaining additional flexibility and time in the working week to spend with my child and get household chores done.

I approached my boss knowing what my rights were and told him that I was prepared to be in the office 3 days but if they wanted me to work another day it would need to be from home. I was able to do this because I knew we could afford to live on 3 days of my income if my request was rejected and also knew that my team was understaffed and the cost to hire and train an additional resource would be more than any perceived loss from me working from home.

My boss considered my request and eventually agreed to my terms but on a probational basis and for a maximum of one year.

Working from home is not for everyone, you do need to be self-motivated, able to work autonomously and set and achieve daily goals.

The things that helped make my day from home work for me and my boss were:

Working from home definitely has its perks, I enjoyed a more relaxed morning, being able to wear my daggy clothes and no make-up, the quiet time to think, being able to use my break to for personal errands and picking up my child earlier than normal – working from home is, after all, meant to come with some benefits.

I got through the probation without a problem and after 9 months my boss told me that despite his doubts the day from home was working so well that I could do it indefinitely.

Do you do paid work from home? How do you manage?Any tips that you can add?

Kathryn Hocking is the Director of Reverie Coaching, www.reveriecoaching.com , find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ReverieCoaching