Need advice--Question about salary/working from home

andrieya · September 2014

So I'm an event planner at a restaurant and it's by no means corporate. I'll be working from home for about 5 weeks before coming back part-time for another month then full-time after that. My boss and I haven't had a conversation yet about compensation. What percentage of my normal salary do you think I'm entitled to while working from home?

golfingdarwinfish · September 2014

What % of your job responsibilities can you complete while working from home?

MrsSarahRenee · September 2014

Will you be working half time or less? Will you be fulfilling all your responsibilities or are they replacing you for the time you are off?
What are the expectations of work production in those five weeks?

JessAnnJ · September 2014

How many hours will you be working from home? I think the percentage of your salary you make working from home should be based on home much less time you are are working (I.e., if you are working half the time you normally would you should get half the salary).

angeltennis3 · September 2014

As PPs have said, I would probably start with what the realistic expectation is for you when working at home. From there, you can determine a better conversation around compensation.

Honestly, it can significantly depend on the temperament of your newborn. Some babies rarely cry and sleep all the time, but others will require constant attention. There really is no way to know what you will get. Do you have a plan in place to make sure you can meet the expectations of your boss if you have a newborn that needs constant attention?

andrieya · September 2014

I'll still be taking phone calls, answering emails, doing contracts, etc. but I won't be able to do site visits until I'm back. The GM will have to do that. It's primarily a desk type job except for when I do site visits or am running an event, which is why it's feasible for me to work from home for a few weeks.

angeltennis3 · September 2014

andrieya said:
I'll still be taking phone calls, answering emails, doing contracts, etc. but I won't be able to do site visits until I'm back. The GM will have to do that. It's primarily a desk type job except for when I do site visits or am running an event, which is why it's feasible for me to work from home for a few weeks.

Not necessarily. A newborn can take a significant amount of your attention, just because you the work can be done out of the office does not mean you will be able to actually do the work and care for a newborn.

andrieya · September 2014

@angeltennis3‌ I sure hope I can!

MissMandyD · September 2014

I am also an event planner and when I work from home I get 100% of my salary. But I am expected to accomplish 100% of my job.

MsMacual · September 2014

I'm with @angeltennis3- be prepared with a back up plan or the understanding that you'll be submitting work at weird times of the day vs business hours so your SO can take care of LO while you do some work. I have been able to take contracts that were mostly or entirely work from home and our son goes to daycare bc I can't give my full attention to my work when he's here. I have some freelance work lined up between now and early December and I've been very upfront with my clients that I can only commit to PT work once the baby arrives and I will be working at odd times of the day (I've literally told the one to expect things at 3 am). My plan will go out the window if this baby doesn't like to be worn or his high needs in some way.

In terms of compensation- I agree with the other ladies. It should be based on the percent of your job that you will be doing from home.

AmandaJean12 · September 2014

I'm working from home permanently after LO comes, but in the beginning I'm expecting to do less and gradually build up. If you're starting that 5 weeks right away, i would estimate less of your job duties covered. If you're taking a few weeks totally off first, I'd estimate higher.

I've also went overboard on prepping for it, on the advice of women who pull it off. Literally, spread sheets and lists for everything and every piece of paper filed so nothing slips through the cracks when I'm sleep deprived and distracted.

rae76 · September 2014

I worked from home for 8 weeks with DS1. It was the nature of my position in our business that I was going to have to maintain my job even when I was supposed to be out on maternity leave. I did 100% of my duties and also took on a huge project during that time that was implemented after DS1 turned 1 the following year.

What I found was that I was able to get more done at home in a shorter amount of time than I could in the office because I didn't have the distractions that I do in my office. There weren't people coming in to talk, or waiting on customers or answering the phone, etc. I could do the work while he was napping.

This time will be the same, I will be working at home until January. I will have to come to the office at least 1-2 times a week for things I can't do at home. But depending on baby's demeanor, I anticipate being able to get more done per day in less time.

It will depend on if your employer is going to pay you by hours worked or by completion rate.

andrieya · September 2014

I feel like I'll be able to get more done at home too in a shorter period of time, BUT since you never know when the bebe is going to need you, how would you even be able to keep track in a "billable hours" scenario? Thankfully I don't think they'd go that route.

MrMrsandBaby · September 2014

Ironically, I'm more productive at work because I don't have the distraction of my DD or DH. WFH is harder for me when DD knows I'm there. But it just means longer days because I still need to get the work done.

I would talk to your boss ASAP to figure out if there is a cut when you go back but JI would assume 100% unless told differently.

AmandaJean12 · September 2014

andrieya said:

I feel like I'll be able to get more done at home too in a shorter period of time, BUT since you never know when the bebe is going to need you, how would you even be able to keep track in a "billable hours" scenario? Thankfully I don't think they'd go that route.

As a lawyer I have to track billable hours for most clients, and it definitely takes some getting used to... but you keep track in 6 minute increments (so the math is easy for billing, because it's a 10th of an hour). You learn to watch the clock and jot start and end times for yourself. Its not as bad as it seems like it is going to be.

andrieya · September 2014

Just talked to him. I'm going to get 60% which is what I was hoping for to be honest. I'm so looking forward to not having to deal with on-site restaurant BS for 5 weeks!

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