Home working is not so leisurely

By VIKKI BLAND

For those who have a work ethic, self-discipline and work and family schedules sorted, running an IT job from home is an attractive alternative to the daily grind of traffic, long meetings and air-conditioned offices.

In theory, all you need is an amenable employer (or clients), a phone line, reliable computer hardware and a fast internet connection. Other software and hardware tools you need will depend on your line of work.

So what kind of IT jobs can be run from home? Possibilities include website design and management, computer-aided and graphic design, programming, systems analysis, data entry, IT support and helpdesk services.

You don't have to be self-employed to do these from home, you could be working on a salary. You may not even need to be in the same country as your employer or customers.

Alex Kouznetsov, head programmer for a New Zealand software development company, has spent the past four of his six years of employment working from his home - in Sydney.

"New Zealand was too cold for my family and so I said I wanted to move to Australia," says Kouznetsov.

His employer agreed to the relocation and now pays his travel to New Zealand two or three times a year. Kouznetsov relies on email, phone and mobile phone to keep in touch, and uses the internet to deposit his work directly on to his employer's computer network. His employer pays his salary and business expenses by internet banking.

While it might sound idyllic, self-employed and salaried IT employees like Kouznetsov have discovered working from home is not all leisurely wake-ups, flat whites, and sailing between nine and five.

Common problems include feelings of isolation, overworking or relaxing standards. And running an IT job from home while trying to be a fulltime parent - something women often try to do - can be difficult.

One home-based IT consultant resigned after her 3-year-old threw a tantrum in the middle of an urgent customer call.

"It was just so unprofessional and the customer was more than unimpressed. I really thought I could run the job from home, but it had got to the point where I wouldn't answer the phone if it rang when I was due to pick the kids up from school."

Besides the "parent trap", some IT employees miss collaborating with work peers and getting face-to-face feedback.

There may also be technological or company policy barriers to working from home. For example, as most IT positions require access to the employer's main computer network, working from home won't be an option if you can't access the network remotely for security or technology reasons.

However, IT employers are arguably more receptive to employees who want to work from home than those in other industries. And security and remote access to technology are certainly not an issue for large IT employers, such as technology solutions provider Gen-i.

"Gen-i has the technology for fast, scalable and secure access to the Gen-i network should a staff member need to work from home," says Karen Vernon, human resources manager for Gen-i.

Vernon says while Gen-i does not have an official work-from-home policy, requests to work at home are left to the discretion of individual managers.

She adds that Gen-i values the benefits face-to-face communications offer - an important point for self-employed IT workers to remember. Regular customer visits, care with appearance and being readily available count for a lot.

According to home business websites such as www.homebizbuzz.co.nz, professionalism, organisation and attention to detail gradually build customer confidence, as some 200,000 home-based businesses in New Zealand have discovered.

This can only be good news for home-lovers with an eye to producing quality IT work while enjoying random flat whites.

Tips for working from home

* Ensure your computer, telecommunications lines and internet connection are fast and reliable and hardware is well-maintained and under warranty

* Keep your IT work tools (software, hardware, fax machines and printers) away from the rest of the family

* Agree with employer or customers the hours you are available. An answering service is not sufficient - offer alternative contact options (email, mobile phone or pager)

* Make sure your business cards, marketing material and other documents are of an appropriate standard

* If you are self-employed, glowing customer references (perhaps from a previous salaried position) will help offset customer discomfort with your home-based status