By Steven Church
Wilmington (Del.) News Journal

Working from home is the dream of many cubicle-confined office workers, and with laptops everywhere and high-speed Internet service becoming nearly as ubiquitous, it's easier than ever to start.

But just because you can hold a teleconference in your pajamas doesn't mean the residential office is workplace nirvana. Computer problems, phone and power outages, and family interruptions are all potential problems that could make the old cubicle farm seem serene.

TIPS

Do your homework Making a home office work involves more than deciding where to plug in the computer. Issues include zoning laws and tax implications. Assess your needs Determine whether you need storage space, a phone line or ways to accommodate clients or deliveries. If you have children at home, there are other considerations. "With small children, you may want to keep things off the floor, or keep things locked up," said Nelda Moore, an adviser to the Greater Louisville Home-Based Business Association. "If you have teens who use computers, you may need a private computer." Location The next step is to choose a location, be it a corner of the basement, a bedroom, the dining-room table or the garage. "You want space," said Donna Ridings, owner of PC Executives and president of the Greater Louisville Home-Based Business Association. "You don't want it in a walk-in closet, or the corner of the basement that's difficult to get to." A proper location, said Dallas home-office expert Lisa Kanarek, can make it easier to work. "If mixed with other things, it will be hard to stay focused. It's hard to get into it mentally if you have dirty dishes next to you." Insurance A homeowner's policy probably won't cover the contents of a business office and any related liability, so your coverage would need adjustment, said William Stiglitz, an account executive with HBH Insurance Group in Louisville. Regulations Before you hang your shingle, check local laws, including specific neighborhood regulations. Communities may regulate number of employees and customers, parking, changes to the building's appearance, deliveries and hours of operation.

In 2003, about 42 million people, or 29 percent of the total labor force, spent at least one day a month working from home, according to a national survey by the nonprofit International Telework Association and Council, based in Silver Spring, Md.

For workers hoping to move from the office to the house, the first step is getting permission from the boss. That can be easier in small companies, experts said.

"It is easier to keep track of what people are doing in an office," said George Sharpley, a senior economist with the Delaware Department of Labor.

"If you have a really big firm, sometimes it can be a little harder to keep track of everybody and make sure the work gets done."

Employees also should make sure they head off potential problems with managers and co-workers, said Lee Mikles, who founded a Web services company that employed 45 people in Philadelphia when he sold his share of the firm in 2003.

Check in with the office several times a day and keep a regular schedule so everybody knows which days you will be working from home, said Mikles, who now runs an Internet marketing company from his home in Newark, Del.

One of the most basic problems associated with the home office involves the family who lives in it.

Ron Mask, who has been working out of his home as an employee and as a small-businessman for 35 years, solved the problem of family interruptions by posting his state business license on his office door as a reminder that his job is every bit as real as for people who work inside a traditional office building.

"Create a space in your home that is only an office, because your family is used to walking anywhere and everywhere they want inside their home," said Mask, who lives in Brandywine Hundred, Del.

If an employer is willing to install a computer or software in your home, make sure it's the same quality as the equipment you use at the office, said Robert L. Smith, executive director of the telework council.

"It doesn't help the company if you are having problems with your network equipment, whether you are at home or in the office," he said.

Power outages and telephone failures are relatively rare, said telecommuting consultant Gil Gordon from Monmouth Junction, N.J. Much more common are Internet-related problems and computer network troubles, he said. In those cases, persistence is the key, Gordon said. Get to know your Internet provider and keep calling back until the problem is fixed, he said.

Telecommuting workers should keep phone numbers for the company's technical service department handy, while home-based businesses should pay for a service contract when they buy their computer equipment, Gordon said.

Home offices have plenty of advantages over traditional offices, but the trade-off is that technical glitches take longer to fix and often must be handled by the worker. Being prepared ahead of time makes all the difference, Gordon said.

"Preventive maintenance helps," he said.