Work at Home with Your Current Employer

A Home Business Article Contributed by Megan Cohen

Why Work at Home?

There are many advantages to doing your work at home. You can become the master of your own time, scheduling work when it is convenient to your lifestyle. You will become more efficient, getting more done in less hours at your desk because you are working without the distractions of life in an office. You will be physically comfortable, since no cramped cubicle can compete with the creature comforts of your own house.

Perhaps most importantly, you will be able to take charge of your own career and feel proud of your own accomplishments, reveling in your power and success instead of feeling like one replaceable plank on an endless corporate ladder. However, running your own business really isn't for everyone.

The life of an entrepreneur can be a constant battle for job security, so if marketing yourself and juggling your resources and connections to make new opportunities for yourself doesn't sound like your cup of tea, you shouldn't try to be something you're not. Amazingly enough, you don't have to run your own business to work from home.

Make Your Current Job a Work at Home Job.

A great alternative to striking out cold on your own is to find a way to work at home with your current job. Everyone has some percentage of their work which they can do at home. Whatever your job, the best way to figure out what aspects of it will best translate to your home is to start keeping a work at home journal. Every day at your lunch break, coffee break, and when you get home, write down anything you did at work which you could do at home.

Be as creative and open-minded as you can when you make these list. Even if you are in a service industry, when you think hard about it you will find that certain aspects of your job don't actually require your presence in the workplace. Many workers in service businesses spend a lot of time helping customers on the phone. If that sounds like you, go ahead and write it in your journal. After all, any customer calls could be easily forwarded to your cell phone, letting you work wherever you like.

Keep your journal for at least two weeks, then figure out how much time you could reasonably spend at home and still do your job as well as you do now -- or better!

Negotiate a Work at Home Schedule with Your Boss.

Admittedly, this is the toughest part. However, remember that while he or she may not believe it at first, getting your boss to let you work at home part time is actually to your boss's advantage as well as yours. You will be a more motivated, more efficient worker, and your job satisfaction and performance will undoubtedly increase. If your boss doesn't go for your plan at first, keep trying. Consider going above your boss's head to the company board with your idea -- sometimes a great plan just needs to find the right pair of ears.