Over the last 5 years, I have had the honor and pleasure of working for both the virtual academy world and K¹² Inc. During this time, I have learned a great deal about working from home, and how to maximize my time and energy to give back to the company as best as possible, without working a 20-hour a day schedule. In doing so, I have had many people, friends and family alike, inquire as to “How do you work from home?!?”.

I would like to share, and demystify, some of these myths to bring to light the real picture of working from home. At least, for this lone wolf stationed in Castle Rock, Colorado. It’s not an image of an employee sitting at their computer, in their robe, with a bagel burning the toaster and the printing reeling non-stop, instead, it is an organized collage of projects, work, and interaction. (ok…with a cup of cold coffee on the desk, too).

As the Global Development Manager for K¹²’s International Academy, my role involves creating, developing, and sustaining the social networks of our students in over 60 countries across the world, and every state in the U.S. I speak from the perspective of working on individual, and collective, projects, teams, and groups. And I can say- each day- is a pleasure. See my debunking below…

5. It’s EASY to work from home!
Working from home is convenient. And enjoyable. And allows for flexibility. But it is not the easiest of jobs. When work is in your house (like chocolate) it is always there. When you put the chocolate on the counter, you are more likely to eat it. With work, when the day is over, it is a matter of shutting down the computer, and conference line, and the home office door. Otherwise, one could work all of the time. Like we tell our students, it’s all about the balance. Time for school, time for life, and time for oneself.

4. Working from home means that you are house-bound!
A myth through and through. Working from home provides the pleasure, and joy, of being able to work from different locations. It has always been my dream to poll my fellow team mates to find out the different places from which they have worked. This would be a great coffee-table list! Personally, I have worked from coffee shops, hotel lobbies, rental cars, the airport (when I am on the road), and even the lodge at the ski slope in Colorado. As long as you keep the mute button on, you can work from anywhere that you have that Internet connection (like our academic programs). Love K¹²!

3. People who work from home are isolated from interaction and communication
Quite the contrary, my friends. I interact more with my fellow employees now, than I ever had in the office building. When you work for a company that is dedicated to technology advancements in education, you are continually collaborating, communicating, working together, re-thinking, and corresponding via e-mail, conference call, and web-based tools.

The absence of face-to-face engagement makes you work harder, and smarter, at expressing yourself with others. Think about it…An e-mail with the following message, “OK. Whatever works” can carry with it many different tones. We are striving to express ourselves clearly and concisely. While having fun at work, too! It really makes you appreciate the time that you are together, at conferences, meetings, and visits to the K¹² office in Herndon (my favorite type of trip, in fact!)

2. One works less hours when they work from home
Speaking from my own experiences, related to working for an curriculum and school-development company dedicated to advancing the face of education, the hours are not less just because I am home. If you work effectively, and efficiently (you know, not getting up during project-based work time to throw in laundry, or taking calls from friends during the work day) then you can accomplish a great deal in a short amount of time.

However, anyway you look at it, there is always more to do when you work in academia. So the quantity of work is not different, especially in our field. Working from home permits more flexibility in the time of day in which we can do it.

1. You can work from home in your pajamas!
OK, theoretically, you could work from home in your pajamas. And likely many people do. But in the advent of technological advances, web cams are used more and more to make that personal connection with others. Would your colleagues, and students, want to see you in your Snoopy pajamas? Probably not.

So for many of us, we wake up like the office-bound folks, get ready, and go to work, in our homes, ready to take on the day in our work-ish clothes!
 

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