Finance: Work from home can be tricky

As I write this I am busy working, doing accountant things.

You know: responding to emails, organising jobs, taking phone calls and reviewing productivity spreadsheets for one of my clients.

Sounds like a normal professional day, right?

Who would have thought that a couple of minutes ago a cat came running into the room, stirring up two dogs into a barking frenzy.

I had to get up, walk over, tell them off, return to my desk, get up and tell them off again before the cat would leave, looking suspiciously satisfied. The dogs then took out their aggression on a cushion, allowing me to turn my attention back to work.

This is one disadvantage of working from home.

It's been highlighted in a Regus study that shows more than half of people who work from home are distracted by children wanting attention.

More than a third say their kids or pets disturb their phone calls. Others say difficulties accessing office equipment or getting a good internet connection is a problem.

John Henderson, director, Regus Asia Pacific, says: "Working from home is becoming increasingly popular but as more people experience it, many are also discovering the downsides. Having to adapt your personal space to accommodate professional activities is not always easy, and maintaining the right mindset for work while balancing family demands has been flagged by many New Zealanders as the main obstacle to working from home."

Working remotely or from home has its advantages, but you do have to be disciplined.

Even though on a day working from home I don't have to shower or change, I do have to be in the right mindset, even if I am collecting a coffee from the kitchen on the way.

There's no commute to the office. There are fewer staff interruptions, meaning I am more efficient at work output from home.

Effectively, I have 24/7 access to the office, so even if I've been away or been sick I can still keep in touch with what's going on; that's got to be good for me and my clients.

It's there, it's flexible, it's great and I don't mind the cat or the dogs really, maybe they're just there to remind me to have a break from work, and maybe I should just take them for a walk.