Working from home

There was a time when there was no decision to be made. When baby came along, dad continued to work (probably with overtime) while mum quit the daily grind to look after baby. Doesn't that seem like an awfully long time ago?

Today, flexibility is the key. Chances are that both of you will need, or want, to work at least part time - the trick comes in making that fit into your new, baby-led schedule. Working from home seems like one way out of the childcare maze, but it's not always as simple as it seems.

Advantages

Flexibility

Establishing the work ethic early...

Working from home gives you greater flexibility, and you can generally adjust your hours to suit you and your new family. You may find that your new life as a parent means that your working hours are less than conventional (need some extra time to finish that report - no problem, do it before breakfast, or during a sleepless night in-between baby feedings) but at least you have the freedom to experiment to find what works best for you.

Time
When you think about the time you would normally spend commuting it can seem like such a waste. Three quarters of an hour each way, five days a week amounts to seven and a half hours in a week - almost an entire working day! Working from home gives you this time back, but be careful of taking on too much - being at home may give you the impression that you have time, but baby may have other ideas.

Money
You'll certainly save on travel expenses and possibly even on food - you'll be less tempted to throw cash at a local snack bar when your own kitchen is in slipper-footed walking distance.

Disadvantages

Isolation
Despite the flexibility, extra time and possibly extra cash, working from home can get quite lonely. If you're used to the buzz of an office, it's not always easy to adjust to working most of the time on your own. You'll need to find reserves of self-discipline to make sure the work gets done on time. You may also feel that you're not quite part of the team that you were in before, so it can be useful to stay in regular contact with your work mates by phone, or even pop into the work place from time to time.

Organisation
If you're living and working in the same space, the line between the two can sometimes become blurred. But it's important to make the distinction between 'your time' and 'work time'. Mixing the two can lead to a sense that you have no time to yourself, that work is never-ending and can become a source of stress - and chances are a new baby will lead to plenty of that anyway.

Set yourself boundaries both in space (one area for work, the rest for life) and time (give yourself lunch and tea breaks, and start and finish times for the day). Of course, it's not always easy, especially with young children, but making an effort early on can help set a pattern which will help home working work for you in the long term.

Things to consider

Work space
It's important to make a distinction between home and work - even if they are the same place. Any home worker will tell you that it's extremely difficult to get into the mindset of work when you're surrounded by drying washing, discarded toys and general baby detritus. If you have a spare room, great - you can convert it into an office. If not, then try to make space in a room - kitchen or even bedroom, where you can be at work, at least in your head.

Tax
You may have to sort out your own tax. Depending on how much you're earning, it is likely to be worth your while investing in an accountant. They don't necessarily cost that much (perhaps £300-400 to sort out your annual tax return). Don't ignore this though, the Inland Revenue can get very heavy if you don't show them the respect they feel is their due.

Childcare
Depending on the nature of the work you do, it really is incredibly difficult to get anything meaningful done in-between baby's naps. You might be able to put baby down for a while, but just as you're getting to that difficult bit in today's workload, you have to break off for feeds etc. Childcare can be crucial, even for the homeworker. What makes things a lot simpler is that you can dictate the hours to fit around your work, rather than the other way around.

When to go back to the office

This is different for everyone. Some mums go back after a couple of months, others might take a year or more. Try not to feel pressured into going back before you're ready - more money or brownie points with the boss don't necessarily much help if getting them is making you miserable. And of course, you may find that home working really agrees with you, and you'll never feel the need to travel to work again…