If there is one thing that the age of telecommuting has done, it’s redefine the workplace and having a work from home job often draws much attention when it is mentioned in conversation. Part of this has to do with what has been considered a job for so long. In most people’s minds, a job is something that you get up and go to each morning and spend approximately eight hours performing required tasks before returning home at the end of the day. Staying home to work, except to execute domestic duties, is a rather new concept for most.
The definition of a job is an activity performed on a regular basis in exchange for compensation, chiefly referring to an individual’s occupation or craft. You’ll notice in the definition that there is no designation for any certain location in which an individual’s occupation of craft must be practiced. Therefore, if that is the true definition of what a job is, then a work from home job is a true job. You may not have the long commute but you’re definitely performing tasks and getting paid for them, whether you’re doing work from home customer service, freelance writing, work from home accounting or online tutoring.
Some individuals opt to take on a work from home job from an established employer. This means that a person still has someone to answer to, just as they would if they were going to a place of employment. To some, this may help work from home jobs seem somewhat more like a ‘regular’ job. However, there are those that create their own work from home career in which they are their own boss; and mostly in the beginning, they are the only employee they have as well. This is a dynamic that tends to intrigue most people when they hear about work from home jobs.
However, as telecommuting continues to evolve and with current unemployment rates continuing to rise, there are more and more people who are able to report they have a work from home job. The internet has allowed many people to find work when there is none to be found in their immediate area. Companies needing to do whatever it takes to stay afloat rely greatly on telecommuters to take on much needed tasks. In the end, needs created on both ends are met and resolved. The only thing that is different is a company no longer has to pay to rent large expensive spaces for its employees and employees do not have to afford long, arduous and expensive commutes.
There is some thought that, except for very few lines of work, there will be a time when everyone works from home. People will communicate by way of technological devices beyond our imagination and important meetings will be held via hologram. This may be years away but not as far away as we think. Hopefully, by that time we will have come familiar and accustomed to what a work from home job is.
