So I'm getting to the point where I want to take on someone to do the data entry and some of the admin work This could be an apprentice or someone similar.
Has anyone who works from home ever done this? Is it possible? Id be only thinking 2-3 days per week or school hours perhaps.
Many thanks
Replies (29)
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Working from home
I don't think that it would be appropriate for you to have an employee working within your family home, from both their point of view and your own. Others may disagree but I would expect the situation to prove awkward.
It depends
I live alone and work from home and over the years have had several part time employees working with me. No issues whatsoever
Yes I have a large office
Clients normally get seen in my dining room. Occasionally when we need to look at my computer together I usher them into my office. It's the largest "bedroom" in the house, and I've got two work stations and lots of cupboards. Various people have been very envious, as they've had to convert a bench in their garage. But I didn't have lots of kids (sadly) so I think they've got the best deal out of the two of us!
That's my point
If you are considering placing your employee's work space in your kitchen (that you share with your family) you clearly have not thought this out in practical terms.
What happens if you want to take a week off - Are you going to leave your employee with the keys to your home?
Sounds to me like it might be a good time to rent a local office. Long term, that will suit you, your employee, your clients and your family.
Clarify the task
I think you will have to write down your specific requirements that you will want your employee to achieve and refer to these when recruiting. You will still need to manage and mentor them. They will not do all you expect, but may perform better in areas you don't expect. You will have to manage to do yourself what remains.
There should not be a problem in principle having an employee in the house, even alone once trust has been established. They can act as house-sitter & feed the cat!
If you need to rent an office (business rates, utilities, security, commuting, furniture, etc) the effective hourly rate of your new part-time employee will be pretty exorbitant. You will still have to leave them the keys at some point, but will need to check they've locked up correctly.
Unless you plan a major expansion, a separate office might be a sledge-hammer to crack a nut.
Can your business plan afford it? Whichever way you go, make sure your insurances cover the liabilities.
why not subcontract?
you'll get someone competent (hopefully!) and they'll normally want to work at their own premises (home)
Already answered
you'll get someone competent (hopefully!) and they'll normally want to work at their own premises (home)
The OP has already answered that one,
Really believe it?
you'll get someone competent (hopefully!) and they'll normally want to work at their own premises (home)
The OP has already answered that one,
sounds to me like the OP hasn't done this in a good way - losing control by giving the bookkeeper direct access to the clients and not imposing deadlines for work to completed by - doesn't sound like they were competent to do the work either - was a proper assessment of their work and capabilities conducted before letting them have access to the clients - probably not
if this we me the client wouldn't know a subcontractor was being used, communication would still go through us, the subcontractor would complete the work and provide queries etc for us to review and finalise to take to the client......all within a workable timescale
And you really think this is best achieved by the bookkeeper working remotely? I don't think so, and more importantly nor does the OP.
no i dont
you'll get someone competent (hopefully!) and they'll normally want to work at their own premises (home)
The OP has already answered that one,
sounds to me like the OP hasn't done this in a good way - losing control by giving the bookkeeper direct access to the clients and not imposing deadlines for work to completed by - doesn't sound like they were competent to do the work either - was a proper assessment of their work and capabilities conducted before letting them have access to the clients - probably not
if this we me the client wouldn't know a subcontractor was being used, communication would still go through us, the subcontractor would complete the work and provide queries etc for us to review and finalise to take to the client......all within a workable timescale
And you really think this is best achieved by the bookkeeper working remotely? I don't think so, and more importantly nor does the OP.
if you actually read my original post i suggested using a subcontractor - someone who was competent and not a bookkeeper
Working from home
If you are intent on working from home with another member of staff, and I don't blame you not wanting to take on an office until you see how things pan out. I would suggest that you turn a room over to the working space. You say you have a dining room. Turn that into the office, which means that the employee has a static workplace. Ok you lose a family room, but it would probably suit both parties better.
I have worked like this and have seen other places do this as well, but it only worked when there was a dedicated room (not the kitchen etc.) Yes you will have to give the employee keys to your home, but if you can't trust them in your home, why are you employing them.
Some potential employees won't like this arrangement, so they won't take the job, but others won't see it as a problem.
subcontract
Its difficult to judge. I'd want to employ someone, get the extra work without then incurring the office costs especially if this person is to do the low end work. We do have his and her's offices at home so we could re-jig things. As a employee I think I would hate this but it could work.
Re sub contacting - Im on my 3rd book keeper now and maybe its me, but I find it very difficult to manage my workload when I cant see when jobs are coming in. The book keeper for example has two large VAT jobs on and I will review the VAT returns. She has sent me one file today but with it a load of queries. I think she needs to resolve these with the client and send me the completed job.I guess I wont see the file until Monday now. ARGH.
the point i'm making is that to subcontract you need someone competent - this could be a bookkeeper but probably wont be - the fact that you're on your third one proves this does it not?
you also aren't controlling the work as you've handed this to the bookkeeper to the extent where you dont know what work you have on - is this going to look good to your clients?
But . . . .
It's still best for the worker to be in the same space as the OP so they can work as a team, which would solve many of the other issues.
I have resolved this issue by not taking on bookkeeping work, new clients have to use cloud software. This way I am using my time more efficiently and can service clients as a sole practitioner. I also work from home (school hours).
As an employee there is no way I would take a job working at someone's kitchen table. Next thing they would be expecting you to wash the dishes or do the ironing.
We do it
I work school hours plus the odd evening from home and I have an apprentice (and another part time aca ) working from my home.
We have an office in the loft, kitchen is part of main home and both of them I trust and have keys.
We obviously have all the appropriate insurances and I love the situation I am in.
re apprentice - has to be 30 hours minimum a week and don't underestimate the amount of training / learning time they will take to get up to speed.
Good luck!
Do you have a garage
or large shed separate from the house which you can convert to an office ?
@ Anne Robinson
You have not seen the results of my ironing - no one would ask me twice.
I have my own offices and 2 staff full time. The only way you can get to that is build up, or use sub-contractors, or you stay on your own and do not expand. Depends on what you want to achieve. Great for me - I can go on holiday next week and work is still being done.
Ahh a man thing! Do household chores so badly that they know they will never be asked again! However most women know that old chestnut but we reckon that it is just not worth the bother
Ironing
Ahh a man thing! Do household chores so badly that they know they will never be asked again! However most women know that old chestnut but we reckon that it is just not worth the bother
Just no god at ironing - good at some other chores, so not totally a man thing. Anyway, wife keeps house and I keep her in the manner she has become accustomed by working.
I love the 1950s
Your language is a dead giveaway. Quit while there is still some ambiguity.Anyway, wife keeps house and I keep her in the manner she has become accustomed by working.
Try It Out Short Term
I was in exactly this position, but didn't know if taking someone on would really help, or just mean I spent so much time answering their questions and training them that I still didn't get any more work done. I have a friend with good finance and excel skills who was looking for a few weeks' part time work. She agreed to by my guinea pig and came to work with me in my home. I got to try out how much help she would really be, what would be easy to hand over, and what clients and areas I should keep to do myself. It has worked incredibly well - to the point that she can now take some of the inputting home and work independently, and would like to stay on more permanently. Our friendship is also still intact - it just takes setting deadlines, and agreeing when the chat stops and work begin!
We have a dedicated office with two work desks back to back - helpful to stay focussed and less distracted! It's also great to not be alone all day!
Good luck with your future business!
Level 4 AAT student
I work from a downstairs office at home and have done since 2004.
I currently employ for just 1 day per week a 24 year old student in their final year of a Level 4 AAT course. They work in my dining room and if they have exams, they are permitted to have the week off without pay or use it as a holiday day and get paid. If I go away they either take a holiday themselves (with holiday pay), or I pay them for not working (this is only for 5 days in the whole year - covering 5 weeks that I take off work with them working only 1 day per week). As they are on £6.50 per hour, its not costing a fortune.
They take a couple of months to train to your procedures, but can process VAT returns, payrolls, go to the post box, brew up and hit deadlines etc. The student I have at the moment, is ok to bring things to TB. I have also just got her into inputting the sole trader jobs into my accounting software package.
I feel I am giving something back by employing a student, as each year, they usually end up getting a full time job somewhere due to the work experience and knowledge they have gained in their final year.
As August is a quieter month for me, I take them on under a temporary contract running from Sept to July.
Apprentice
I converted my garage into an office and employed an apprentice for 2years and also therefore qualified for the apprenticeship grant, if I didn't have enough work one particular week. I would tell her to have the day off didn't mind paying as I'd received the grant anyway. She always appreciated this so is my busiest time she would work overtime. Well worth it and thinking of doing it all over again this year as it was very rewarding developing a student who is now on her final year of AAT. She was preparing sole trader accounts and simple tax calculations when she left.
apprentice
I took on my daughter, who lives 40 miles away. We use skype and cloud software and it works well for both of us.
If she has problems we skype , its almost like being in the same office,and with the cloud software I can see what she is doing. She is not an official apprentice though. (she has keys for my house and I trust her here on her own!)