It is sometimes not cost effective. Since you are at home doing your work, you have to pay for all the expenses that you incur in your job such as electricity, fax, photocopies, print outs and phone bills. Even the coffee isn’t free! Do you remember that your previous office offered these facilities and perks at zero cost?

It could get dull and isolating. At some point, you will find yourself missing those horrendous commutes, the warnings for being tardy, the flat tire, the gatherings and chitchats at the lunch table with office mates. If you want to keep things as interesting as when you are in a proper office, you will need to be creative. I recommend that you don’t limit yourself to one little corner in the house where you get things done. How does working in the garden sound? To be up in your room to avoid distractions whenever you are on a tight deadline may also be necessary. Is there a treat you can reward yourself with such as visiting your local coffee shop for a special cup of coffee?

Time management is going to be a big issue. Jobs for work at home moms may become stressful. At some point, your “big” roles as a wife, mother and employee will demand that they all be performed at the same time. And when they do, your husband should help you by changing the baby’s diapers himself. When your kids find it hard to respect your work time, let them understand that mommy will not always be there to do things for them even if they always see you around. The goal here is to learn to separate your work time from mom-time or your chores will stack up on you.

Procrastination could become a habit if you don’t take it seriously. It is hard to stay away from the entertainment center sometimes. It is important that you choose your work area in a manner that will help you stay away from temptations – the soft bed, a good book, the food-stacked fridge and your favorite show on TV.

Finances could be harder to manage. Since you are self-employed, you have to make payments for your own Self-Employment tax (social security and Medicare taxes) which in 2009 is at 15.3% compared to the 7.65% for the office employees. Paid vacations and sick leaves are also not available and you don’t have a regular paycheck. But then again, you do everything at your own pace and that’s what you were initially thinking of, right?

Dressing yourself up becomes less of a priority. Being at home 24/7 does not give you an excuse to skip the tub or hair dryer. If you’re guilty, I would expect you to say that there’s just too much work to be done to even bother dressing up. Plus, nobody really cares because you don’t need to get out of the house anyway, right? But think! If someone would come knocking at your door, are you sure that you would not freak out and worry that they will still see you in your bathrobe at 4 in the afternoon? A nice hair do and presentable, nice clothes to wear are still recommended even when you have a job for work at home moms.

On the other hand, of course it’s imaginable – it’s hard to get some time off work when you are at home and faced with tons of work all day. Who would think about blow drying your hair or putting on some lip gloss? But then again, if you could do that way back when you were going to the office and commuting everyday, you’ve got more extra time to sit down and pamper yourself now that you skip dressing up in business attire and driving in traffic.

Having pointed all that out, working at home does not always mean getting all the free time you want. On the contrary, it may mean getting your free time, family time and work time mixed up. Mom, work at home but before you take this path try to re-think a dozen times if you could make it work for you!

Are there Disadvantages to Becoming a Work at Home Mom? is a post from: Mom-Work-at-Home

Technorati Tags: WAHM, work at home mom