- You Are Too Social
- You Are Too Easily Distracted
- You Don't Have the Space
- You Need an Office for Clients
- You Need Regular Team Contact
- Not All Gloom
- Out of Office Work Style Self-Assessment
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Out of Office Work Style Self-Assessment
Do you enjoy the company social scene?
- Very much so, I know everyone’s name and family members.
- Somewhat so, in order to keep work flowing.
- Not much at all. I keep to myself and get my work done.
Does your work entail long hours of focus on one major activity?
- Not much. I am usually working between writing something up and collaborating with others.
- Somewhat. I spend a portion of my day writing up reports, and some of it collaborating with others.
- Very much so. I can spend at least a day working on one activity to completion.
Are you easily distracted by things around you?
- Very easily distracted. I find it difficult to focus if there are other things around me needing my attention.
- Somewhat. If it gets too loud or interesting in my work area, I lose focus.
- Not much at all. Once I get started on something, I tend to push through to the end.
Are you flexible with your time?
- No, I need clear boundaries around work time and other life responsibilities.
- Somewhat. I need certain work hours designated but can shift that slightly either way.
- Yes, I am very flexible and can move things around as needed by work or by other life demands.
Do you find it easy to move between tasks if you need to?
- No. I become overwhelmed if I am interrupted too often when trying to complete a task.
- Somewhat easy. I have times when I am working on tasks that don’t demand my full attention and other times when I need to be focused.
- Yes, I can easily move between tasks if I need to. Even if it is a task I am focused on, I can handle an emergent issue and then return my focus back to the task at hand.
Are you aware of your own reactions to things, people, events as they happen?
- No, I don’t pay attention to things like that. I just do what I am supposed to do.
- Somewhat. I notice when things get really great or really bad.
- Yes, I am very aware of how things affect me and how I can use them to change an situation.
Are you aware of things that bother you, motivate you, interest you, and bore you?
- No, I don’t see the point in knowing that much about myself. It’s rather selfish, isn’t it?
- Somewhat. I can tell what bothers me and what interests me
- Very much so. I am motivated by_____ and bored by______.
Would your friends and family (and coworkers) say that you are aware of their responses to different things, people and events?
- No, I am often hearing that I don’t understand or am not paying attention.
- Somewhat. My closest family members would say I do.
- Yes, very much so. My friends notice how attentive I am to their needs and wishes.
Do you love what you do and have a passion for it that sometimes goes beyond your work day?
- I do my job and leave it at the office.
- Sometimes I find an interesting article or television show related to my work and it grabs my attention.
- Very often I find myself seeking out information that relates to my job. I love talking it over with like-minded friends and coworkers.
Are your friends and family supportive of you working from home?
- They are not aware that I am considering it. I don’t think they care either way.
- Some of my closer friends and family know that I am considering it and say they are supportive of my efforts.
- I have discussed it with family and friends and they are prepared to help me as they can
If you answered mostly A’s, then you are probably not the best candidate for working from home as a permanent option. A short period doing this would probably be fine but I wouldn’t recommend doing it as a career move.
If you answered mostly B’s, then you could probably make this work if you are willing to work on some of the areas that cause you most concern. If not, then you can probably do this for interim periods but shouldn’t consider it a full time move.
If you answered mostly C’s, then you will love working Out of Office. This is your space and you know how to maximize it to get the most from the opportunity.