Working from home can sound like a dream come true – no morning commute, no boss looking over your shoulder, and a kitchen full of tasty snacks right there when you want them. But if you’re self-employed, working alone at home can quickly become boring, and even demoralising. And while many of us don’t admit to liking our boss, it’s nice to know there’s somebody to talk to when you need a second opinion.
As the months begin to pass by, that kitchen full of snacks can soon have unintended effects on your waistline, especially if you don’t have the daily exercise of walking to the bus stop or from your car to the office. Here are five of the possible negative impacts of working from home – and how you can overcome them.
1. Ever-expanding waistlinesÂ
To begin with the one already mentioned above, if you notice your waistline beginning to spread, make sure you get some exercise – go for a lunchtime walk to get out of the house, or make the most of your evenings and weekends. Eating healthily is a good way to keep things in check if you’re at home for much of the day, as you have direct control over your diet.
But exercise – even if it’s just a brisk walk for 30 minutes or so – has its own important part to play in keeping your joints and muscles healthy too, as well as helping to clear your head and keep stress levels down.
2. Tenant troubles
If you rent your home, you might not actually be allowed to run a business from the same address, so check your tenancy agreement. Managed offices from companies such as Abacus are an alternative, giving you a professional working environment and a dedicated business address, and ensuring you do not breach your tenancy agreement.
3. Homeowner headaches
Even if you own your home, designating a room to be used for business purposes could be a bad idea. That’s because, when you come to sell your property, you might have to pay capital gains tax on the portion used for business – even if the residential part of your home is exempt.
Garden offices can also be subject to this kind of sanction, although if the room can be deemed to be a temporary structure, you might be able to avoid paying the capital gains tax here.
4. Peer pressure
Working alone can have pressures of its own – with no second opinions or objective insight to be found as you might expect in a conventional workplace. Serviced offices often come with communal areas such as reception rooms and kitchen facilities where you can have a ‘water cooler moment’ with other self-employed individuals, and get an honest opinion on any problems you might be facing.
5. You’re the boss
Some of us just aren’t cut out to be our own bosses – we might manage the main part of our job, but all of the admin soon piles up. Again, serviced office rental is one option to help tackle this by giving you fewer things to worry about, but if you’re still stressed, a return to in-the-office permanent employment might be your best bet.
About The Author – Simon Fahey is an experienced entrepreneur who has worked in a broad range of business environments, and advises on the preferable options in articles for a number of different websites. His research for this piece included visiting http://www.serviced-offices.biz