They say it's easy

One of the common misconceptions about working from home is that "it's easy". Sure, it's easier to throw in a load of laundry on a break or get supper started, but that's not the job. Those are the perks that come with the job, which is actually harder (and why those perks are important).

When you remove the perks (comfier clothes, no commute, your own environment, etc.) and just focus on performing the work, the at-home worker must put in extra effort on every activity to match, or hopefully exceed, their in-office counterpart. The reason? Distance. The exact same reason that those long-distance relationships from college didn't work out!

Imagine that you want to have an interactive brainstorming session with multiple people, free flowing ideas, and collaboration. In the office, you just grab a conference room and shove everyone in. When you are differently located, however, you must find a technology solution that will perform many of the same functions, such as whiteboards, chat, sharing documents, telephone, etc. These may cost money, and they are certainly more overhead to set up than booking a room. And then you actually have to get people to participate on a platform they may not be familiar with. This results in extra preparation to become an expert yourself and being able to teach others. Which then also adds on to the meeting time. Whew! I'm exhausted just talking about it!!

Let's look at an even simpler example now. Assume that you like your coworkers and care about building a relationship with them. In the office, you'd probably say "Hi!" on your way to your desk, you'd chitchat at the water cooler, and probably go out to lunch every now and again. When you don't work in the office, these same people aren't within arms reach for such impromptu conversations. Once again, you must turn to technology to fill this gap, using mechanisms such as phone, instant message, and social media platforms. This comes with the same knowledge curve previously mentioned, for both you and the other parties involved. This also comes with more intent, which increases the effort. It's not just a convenient walk-by. You must go out of your way to be social. And with all that we have on our plates (those deliverables you are late with...), this can easily be curtailed to having social feel more like a burden than enjoyment.

Then, of course, there is the fear of being out of sight, out of mind. There is truth to that if you don't put energy into self promotion. You could be doing more work and receiving less recognition just because you are in the shadows. The physical person has the benefit of being seen each day, which creates a little marketing billboard for them each time. Without any effort, they are branding themselves. You, on the otherhand, need to make effort. You need to speak up on calls. You need to actively engage with senior leaders and peers. You need to toot your own horn. You must practice the ABC's of at-home promotion:

Always Be Communicating

Next time someone tells you that at-home work is easier, just smile and say "That's because I make it look easy!"

Times... they are a changin'

In every life, change will come. The same can be said for every job, every company. But when change is large, outside of your control, AND you work at home, you have the perfect storm for heads to explode. If you're company is going through something like a bankruptcy, loss of business, closure of a product line, merger, acquisition, etc., etc., every employee's first reaction is: What does this mean for my job?

When you work at home, this is multiplied exponentially. Whenever someone works at home, they inevitably wonder about whether people will remember them, or if they will be a forgotten lost boy off in Neverland. Most people get over that quickly, especially if they manage their PR as recommended in a previous post. But, when a large portion of the company begins to panic, the at-home fears come back with gusto.

Suddenly every at home person is wondering if they are an even bigger target for losing their job.

So how do you deal with this? How do you cope and not drive yourself insane? How do you protect yourself? Not all that different than you would if you were in the office. It may just take some additional effort. Here are some tips:

• Be a rock star at your job. Don't let worry interfere with your ability to delivery on time, high quality, low cost results that wow your customers. Execution matters most!
• Toot your own horn. Don't be an ego-maniac jerk, but take credit where it is due, and make sure others know about your rock star contributions.
• Toot the horns of others. Likewise, give credit where it is due. Help promote those around you and they will return the favor. You also illustrate your ability to be a team player by being a bit humble.
• Network! Don't stay in your bubble. Talk to your team, your leaders, your peers, your customers. Make as many connections as possible. Join the Dog Lovers chat board even! Get people to recognize your name.
• Stay positive. It's easy to be negative, and studies show you gain "friends" through negativity with pile-ons and sympathy. But that's not the energy you want to put out into the universe. The powers that be will pick up on it, and it ruins your cred. 
• Be prepared. Don't jump ship, but do get things in order in case you need to. Update your resume, get your references, increase your savings. If you have to jump, at least have a cushy place to land.
• Keep managing your PR

Most importantly: Don't fill your head full of worry over something you cannot control.

You can only control what you do. Whatever comes down from on-high will come down, whether you want it to or not. You can't stop the snowball from rolling down the hill. You can, however, prepare for what you might do if it does.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Don't you... forget about me

One of the questions I hear most often from associates considering working from home is "Aren't you afraid you will be forgotten?" My answer is always the same: NO. How could anyone forget about me?

But seriously, I don't worry about it. Why not? Because I manage my own PR (Public Relations) campaign, and I mean I really manage it. Whether you are in the office or hundreds of miles away, people will forget about you if you let them. It's up to you to own your brand and market yourself. This is increasingly important if the old adage of 'out of sight, out of mind' has any truth to it.

So how exactly does one do this? You start by putting yourself out there. Why do you think I have this blog? As you are reading my pearls of wisdom, you can't help but have a little seed planted about my awesomeness. This is one part of my overall strategy for keeping my name in the front of you even when my face is not.

Managing your PR campaign is not the same as doing your daily job. You do your daily job to do this to be paid today. Your PR is about your job tomorrow, next week, next year. For your daily job, it may be enough that only your boss knows you do quality work. But if you boss was gone tomorrow, what would you do? When you have a wider reputation for great things, you can use that street cred to help you through the unknown of tomorrow. That net you are casting will be there to catch you.

Here are some tips on ways to make your name known at your company:

• Teach a class to others on a topic in which you consider yourself an expert
• Write (and publish) a blog on similar topics
• Volunteer for pilot initiatives, special programs, and new ventures
• Be active in social media (internally and externally)
• Get engaged of member of a club or group
• Become a mentor or mentee
• Don't be afraid to put your name on your work and take credit for it

Since I have been work at home, I've received awards from my peers, expanded my team, increased my responsibilities, and been financially rewarded. In fact, I believe a far wider and diverse group of people recognize me now than ever before. Why? Because I own it.

Don't give people the opportunity to forget about you.