It has been amusing to see how people/clients' perceptions have changed since we moved our work to our own place.
The assumption has been we would be willing to work extra hours extra days all of a sudden. Why would that be?
My work hours and days have been relatively unchanged (give or take a few hours) for the past 3 yr - 4 yrs now. When I tell people that now, they seemed surprised.
Maybe it is because I am handling all the administrative stuff it is easy for people to think that I would be willing to go all out and do some extra work, while I was at it anyways. After all I would be getting paid.
The concept of work boundaries comes to play here. I can see the slippery slope that would ensue if I said "sure, come on by".
If anything I have to work harder to maintain my down time more than ever because it is in danger of getting phased out.
I feel your pain. My husband runs a business from our home. He has always personally answered the phone 24/7 due to the nature of the business. However, I am amazed at how many people will call at say 9 or 10 pm looking for a quote on a function that is a year from now. People just don't have any courtesy anymore to respect typical business hours. The one time I answered the phone before 7am for someone wanting to confirm their 3pm booking - really? You couldn't wait until 9am for regular business hours? She was a kid and I told her in future to wait until 9am :)
ReplyDeleteStick to your guns - your sanity will be better for it :)
joanne
Hi joanne;
ReplyDeleteHas your husband had to turn the ringer off on the phone so that you wouldn't be disturbed?
I turn my blackberry on when I'm ready to do business and when it is off, it is off. I don't work on the weekends.
Our current challenge are walk ins. I'm too much of a control freak to appreciate disruptions to my work schedule.
Good luck in your business endeavors too!