Wouldn’t it be great if you could make the same amount of money and stay home with your kids? Many of us dream about this every day. You think about how you wouldn’t miss the morning commute and how you could make yourself more available for your kids.
Advisors at Monster.com said working from home is tougher than most people realize, and the best course of action is to try and work something out with your current employer. “Try to get a more flexible schedule or do job sharing. That is a much easier transition than going out and finding something new. It usually takes at least three to six months for someone to find work out of the home that works for you,” said Norma Gaffin, director of content for Monster.com.
Gaffin said in most cases, you still need a childcare provider for the times when you’re working. She said clients don’t like to hear children crying in the background because it makes them feel like they aren’t very important to you. And she says it’s a misnomer to think work-from-home jobs are easy. “If you’re working from home, you never leave your job. That can certainly come into play when you’re looking at a work-life balance,” said Gaffin.
Michele Pearl of Monster.com warned of all the work-at-home scams. She said job listings for shipping clerks, payment processors, and envelope stuffers should send up a red flag.
Gaffin said the newest scam is medical billing. Hospitals no longer can release medical information on patients due to new privacy policies, so it’s highly unlikely a hospital would seek help outside of the company.
Pearl has three ways to determine whether the job is a scam:
• The company asks you for personal banking information during the interview process.
• Minimal work and big returns: if the claims are too good to be true, they probably are.
• The ad is confusing to the point where you’re not even sure exactly what the company sells.
There are some serious considerations, but that doesn’t mean working from home isn’t right for you. Kristi Gudeman of Goodfield is a success story. It’s been two and a half years, and she’s enjoying her work-from-home job more than ever. Gudeman sells for Tastefully Simple, an upscale gourmet food company. “The reason I chose Tastefully Simple is because it’s consumable. Once someone finds a product they like, they reorder,” she said.
Gudeman makes calls when her husband gets home from work and hosts parties in the evenings or on weekends. “I feel blessed that I’ve been able to stay home with my kids,” she said. “It only takes one party. From there, your business will blossom,” she said.
And while she loves being home with her kids, Gudeman also needs some adult conversation once in a while. Tastefully Simple allows her to make new friends while earning a living. “I’m thrilled with how well the job has worked out for me.”
If you’d like to ask Monster.com about scams related to work-at-home jobs, contact reportfraud@monster.com. TPW