Many people wanting a better work-life balance tend to focus on two key options when weighing up job choices – working from home, and self-employment. Each have obvious flexibility gains compared to traditional types of employment but anyone considering making a major change to their working life must be sure they know exactly what they are in for before they do it.
The difference between working from home and self-employment
First, home-based work doesn’t necessarily mean working for yourself. It is possible to work from home while remaining part of an employer-employee relationship. You might undertake work for another person, company or organisation, carrying out your duties at home rather than at a traditional office or business premises. You might do this as a casual employee, permanent part-time employee or full-time employee.
On the other hand, being self-employed means getting your income directly from your own work, profession, trade or business – not as a salary from an employer. You might undertake contract work for a number of different sources or run your own business. This might be done from home, but it could obviously also be done from a separate office.
To be self-employed is not the same as being a business owner. A business owner does not necessarily have a hands-on role with the day-to-day operations of his or her company, while a self-employed person typically does. In other words, a business owner can simply be an investor, in much the same way as a shareholder is an investor.
Working from home: getting started
If working from home appeals to you, there are employers who offer opportunities to do so. Telemarketing, IT, graphic design, sales, administration, occupational therapy, real estate, exchange student host family recruitment and finance are among those often advertised in on recruitment sites.
Making the decision to try and create some work-life balance in your life isn’t necessarily simple, however. It can be difficult sorting the ‘flexible’ opportunities from their opposites on the job pages and websites. It can be helpful to use specialist sites like Lifestyle Careers (www.lifestylecareers.com.au), a job board website dedicated to advertising of more flexible job opportunities.
Sometimes your existing employer may offer staff the option of working from home or telecommuting – especially in circumstances when your personal situation changes. It’s always worthwhile to ask the question. In many cases employers would rather retain your skills and knowledge by offering more flexible conditions than risk losing you.
Many organisations across Australia are currently conducting major restructuring of their organisations to become more flexible in response to government initiatives and legislation. From January 1, 2010, all employers will be required to comply with the National Employment Standards (NES).
Juliet Bourke, employment lawyer of Aequus Partners, a management consultancy that assists organisations with flexible work practices and diversity, says: “Once the National Employment Standards’ ‘right to request flexibility’ takes effect [next year] we can expect that employees with young children, or children with a disability, will be putting much more pressure on their employers to provide flexible work arrangements. This means that between now and January 2010 employers have a window of opportunity to get on top of this significant change to the way in which flexible work practices will be negotiated at the workplace”.
Based on similar legislation in the United Kingdom, Bourke predicts an increase in requests for workplace flexibility in Australia.
First steps to self-employment
The process of self-employment takes much more planning. Not only do decisions need to be made about what type of self-employment to undertake, there are also a range of government requirements including business registration, taxation, and, potentially, council approval and licensing.
A number of websites have practical and comprehensive advice on starting up your own business. The Business Entry Point (www.business.gov.au) is a good place to start. Advertised opportunities, including franchises, are one option, but you may have your own business idea you want to develop which makes use of your existing proven skills and knowledge.
Remember this…
The most important thing to remember is this: research flexible employment options or self employment opportunities which may suit you and find out as much as you can before you act. Getting the preparation and planning right is the way to ensure your journey to a better work-life balance is an unqualified success on all levels.
(Image 
James Jordan)
Leah Gibbs is the Founder and Business Manager of Lifestyle Careers.
Lifestyle Careers is an online recruitment job board. Our niche and specific focus is the advertising of flexible employment and work at home positions. It is designed for professionals wanting to balance their work and personal life.
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You have some great points from working from home. My dream job.