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Worked from home

24th Jul 2013
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Today and yesterday I worked from my home. Terrible! 

I did it for three years and I could not wait to find an office. AW good as it is was just not enough. I needed to see and talk to people.

My productivity went down. I missed talking to/saying good morning to girls in reception and I missed my bike ride. I did cycle my 8 miles in the evening though. 

Clearly many people can work from home and enjoy this. I am not one of them. Even on weekends, when I have to work,  I rather rush off to the office than work from  home.  

Tomorrow, I will be out first thing and really appreciating my office and the people in the office block.  

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By User deleted
24th Jul 2013 21:24

I prefer the office ...

... but for opposite reasons. Although there are people in the main building if I want to talk, my office is self-contained, an air-conditioned oasis of calm away from the family. I am working at home this evening, as I do most days but I like the mix, I couldn't work from home full time, not unless I could build a proper office in the garden.

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FT
By FirstTab
24th Jul 2013 23:01

Air conditioned?

You are lucky OGA. I was thinking of buying one of those portable air conditioner. I just could not justify the cost since it would only be for a few days. 

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By User deleted
24th Jul 2013 23:35

The office ...

... has air con - I love it.

The portable ones are OK, had one at the old office - well worth a few hundred pounds.

 

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Routemaster image
By tom123
25th Jul 2013 18:50

My office

I have a small office, which I use for my P/T practice - in addition to my day job in a larger company.

I like having the office - as it means all the 'work' stuff stays separate from home. BUT - the disadvantage is that I can't deal with a quick payroll query, for example, when I am at home.

Each has advantages and disadvantages.

F/T what type of office did you get in the end - is it one of these easy terms units? I remember you were considering shop front style at one time

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FT
By FirstTab
25th Jul 2013 21:32

Office

tom123 my office is in a small office block. At the time, I really did look around and what I was finding was dingy office with high rents. 

Then I came across the one I moved into- perfect! The rent is reasonable, people are great and it feels like a professional environment.

My notice period is one month. This makes it really ideal. 

On shopfront - I did find one that I thought was suitable. After I got the landlord down on the rent, he and I agreed to talk further to finalise the deal. For some reason he does not want to take it any further. Must be the rent. 

 

 

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By User deleted
25th Jul 2013 21:13

@tom123

Do you not have remote access, I can run anything anywhere as long as I have an internet connection - all using windows built in RDP. This includes accessing clients data in NY and Aberdeen amongst other locations.

Failing that, you really should be using cloud applications.

The only problem I had was running payslips caused the alarm to go off as the printer is under the sensor. This was cured by making a "house" for the printer from an old box!

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Replying to andy.partridge:
Routemaster image
By tom123
28th Jul 2013 09:16

Future Plan

Old Greying Accountant wrote:

Do you not have remote access, I can run anything anywhere as long as I have an internet connection - all using windows built in RDP. This includes accessing clients data in NY and Aberdeen amongst other locations.

Failing that, you really should be using cloud applications.

The only problem I had was running payslips caused the alarm to go off as the printer is under the sensor. This was cured by making a "house" for the printer from an old box!

In the future I do plan to use cloud etc - but at the moment, for my two clients, I am doing bookkeeping etc which does include mountains of paper. In the event that I do work full time in the practice, which is my longstanding ambition, I will maximise the use of technology.

 

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Teignmouth
By Paul Scholes
26th Jul 2013 00:17

Finally getting used to home

After nearly 40 years of going out to an office I've been running the biz from home for nearly 18 months and feel I am finally cracking it.

Wouldn't have done it if kids were still at home and having everything hosted has been essential but what's really helped is the recent weather, where I've been sitting in the garden under the sunshade with my laptop. 

Whilst I appreciate a few minutes blast of aircon sometimes to cool me down, I've never been comfortable working in air conditioned offices, plus I only get my Vit D fix from the sun!

Because I've been used to working with people in my office that's what I miss the most, (the dog is great but her social skills are crap and my wife thinks accountancy is silly) and, on a few occasions, I've realised what stir crazy means. So what I've started to do is to make sure I go out for a day or two every week to meet clients and contacts, or even take half or a full day off a week, just to break it up.

By the way FT I've got a portable AC unit I used for about a year in an office I had 2-3 years ago, it's the size of a slim fridge, with a big flexi-hose you hang out a window.

It's sitting in a storage unit in Croydon and I'll never use it again, so you (or anyone else) are welcome to it.  If interested I'll get it to test it's still OK and send a picture/specification.

 

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FT
By FirstTab
26th Jul 2013 10:27

Air conditioner

Hi Paul- you great person! 

Yes please to AC unit. If it is not already taken. I will pay for any costs that will be incurred. 

Please don't worry about picture or getting it tested. 

I will PM you to arrange collection.

Thank you! 

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
26th Jul 2013 23:03

I must say I am finding it difficult working from home.
I miss not having work colleagues to break up the routine. Also my daughter is 7 and is in at 3 each ay so everything stops then. She is really good at drawing for her age and now realises there is a stock of stationery in my office which now goes missing a lot. Costs is the main driver to working from home but I think that is something I will have to look it once funds allow. I am out on a short term contract at present which is proving to be a good bit of work. First tab is your office in one of these regus style buildings or incubator style

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FT
By FirstTab
27th Jul 2013 00:07

Office

Hi Glennzy, I understand the point you make about the costs being the reason for working from home at this stage. 

Even after 3 years, my bank balance said no. I just could not bear working from home so I just took the plunge and I have not looked back. Mind you I do not have children, so I did not worry too much about finances. 

I do not know what an incubator style office means. 

I did see Regus offices, they were far away from my area and not as good as the office I am currently in. I saw the one in Richmond. 

My office is self contained. We have a shared reception, networking room/kitchen. It is a purpose built office block. They are mixture of small and medium size businesses from the private and the public sector.

Any tenant can hire a conference room. All my clients are impressed with the state of the office block.

I am very happy with my office to the extent I just do not want to move out. I can stay there for as long as I want.

I have also managed to get 3 good clients as a result of being there.  

 

 

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By User deleted
27th Jul 2013 09:35

I think Regus ...

... prices are akin to Wonga in terms of extortion.

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FT
By FirstTab
27th Jul 2013 10:31

Regus
Agree OGA

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
27th Jul 2013 11:08

Incubator unit.
An incubator unit is something our local authority do. It's basically a subsidized serviced office which has a large number of offices of differing sizes in aimed at new start ups. Basically as you grow you just move into a bigger office within the building so you don't need to change address. You can use as little or as much of the services provided and only pay for what you use. They have communal areas and board rooms you can hire by the hour for meetings etc. there is is also the plus that if you are the only accountant in the building you potentially have a constant stream of new start ups coming into the building.

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