There is one aspect of my work life that has been exacerbated by moving into consulting: always being on call. When I worked at ad agencies it was expected that you were always available. That’s why employers buy or pay for their employee’s cell and data plans. They are paying for your constant availability and ability to be reached. Consulting has been an interesting change. On one hand we have a lot more power than ad agencies: my company specifically has and is completely comfortable with firing clients they do not enjoy working with. Ad agencies would never dare :). However, one of the reasons we’re paid so well is the fact that we are supposed to be always available.
I’m literally always on call. One of my clients seems to be enjoy emailing me at 11pm or on weekends and starts texting me if I don’t reply….I was sleeping. Good lord. This particular client expects a prompt response no matter the time or day. Luckily we will be firing this client soon and I have been working to erect more boundaries around my time, but in the mean time I had a thought: Is my job turning me into a recluse?
A combination of now working from home, an abnormally long and rainy winter and my reduced spending goals and increased enjoyment for cooking has all caused me to leave the house less. When I do leave the house to spend time with friends or my partner during the week I get emails from clients and requests for things to be done or sent to them – and I’m not at my computer. I’m not sure how to deal with this possible new reality. Should I carry my computer with me? Should I not leave the house? Should I be more firm in my work and life boundaries? Does that contradict my purpose as their consultant? So many questions.
Working from home does provide a lot of freedom that I haven’t been taking much advantage of outside of removing a commute and other office annoyances. Since I’m always on call I don’t usually go grocery shopping when the store is empty in the middle of the day or take a walk to clear my head. My clients seem to have me on low-jack because that is the moment they come out of nowhere with urgent requests :).
Though I am at home a lot more due to working from home I have actually been more social than usual. I am engaging with more people than ever digitally. I have 2 standing video chat dates every week and a new keto and FIRE community that gives me a lot of strength and feeling of camaraderie. Does that count as human interaction? 🙂
Working from home may cause me to see work people a lot less in person, but it has allowed me to see one important person a lot more: my partner. He works from home 90% of the time. It’s bringing us even closer after almost 10 years together. I’m not sure I can be classed as a recluse when someone else is always in the room with me. I wonder if other people feel similarly when they start working from home. Was commuting to and from work in a car really that much better than staying at home all day? Why am I worried about the amount of time I’m outside of the house? I’ll explore that more in my next post.