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Aug 04, 2008:
Fuel shocks due to record world oil prices coupled with a weaker rand against the dollar - the currency used to determine oil prices - will make tele-working from home an increasingly popular option.
Other factors contributing to this trend are South Africa's congested road system around cities and rising tolls, says Martin Schultheiss, CEO of the giant estate agency group Homenet.
"Tele-working is becoming a more acceptable option to employers, traditionally slow to embrace the concept of employees working from remote stations. But new economic realities are expected to turn the tide in this respect.
"Self-employment has also grown apace as many former employees have used severance packages or early retirement packages to set up small businesses, often run form home offices," Schultheiss says.
"This trend has led to a resurgence in the popularity of homes that have enough room for dedicated office space."
Schultheiss adds that even spare bedrooms are being put to use as home offices. He suggests the following for homeowners who want to create office space in their homes:
- Space that can be physically closed off from the main living areas will allow you to work and receive visitors without interruption from the rest of the household. It will also encourage members of the household to treat the office area as a no-go area. Possible rooms include a spare bedroom, a study or a converted garage.
- Rooms should have enough storage and workspace. Avoid bulky commercial office furniture if space is at a premium and rather choose light, versatile furniture that can be moved around easily.
- Make sure that the work area can be wired for all necessary office equipment such as a dedicated business phone line, fax, internet access or broadband.
- And finally, get rid of all distractions. It is not a good idea to install TVs or game consoles or to slink off during office hours to attend to household chores, he says.
For more information contact Martin Schultheiss on 031 266 9850
