Wrestling with Office Rent
One of the greatest disparities I have seen in my post corporate world is the number of professional services women who work from home. And for those who do not, they are constantly wrestling with the office rent payment. I have not witnessed this with male owned small businesses.
Recently, several professional services women owned firms I know have considered if they can continue to afford a commercial office space for their business. Many, like me, do not have support to help pay for the necessities or luxuries in life. We do it alone. From interior designers to social workers to editors to architects to business service providers are constantly evaluating the pros and cons of commercial space. Is it truly worth it?
When I try to work from home, it is always a challenge. I live in an urban neighborhood where the homes are historic and lovely but right on top of one another. That means I hear everything. I battle with landscapers and contractors all year long, with the possible exception of the tougher winter months. No matter what I have done by closing windows, turning up the music, finding the furthest room from the street to work in, it just does not matter. The noise is loud and the noise is constant. Throw in a new roof and it is downright chaotic. While it is good to see my neighbors constantly updating and improving their homes, the sounds can be downright deafening. It does not encourage creative thinking and can be exhausting.
Additionally, WiFi can be less reliable in a home office than a commercial office. If your phone or computer keeps cutting out because the WiFi is not reliable, this is not a place to conduct business from, period. I experience this routinely with a colleague and I know there will always be at least one callback needed.
Then you have pets or children or other adults living in the home. If you are on a conference call or Zoom type meeting, how distracting is your home environment to not only you but those on your call? None is more descriptive of this element than when I attended an SBA meeting one evening. All my pets were outside my door whining, meowing, barking, strange noises I couldn’t even identify. The clever one finally got the door open and all of them, five (5) of them at the time, poured into the small office I had recently set up. Luckily, it was at the end of the seminar so I was able to disengage the meeting and let them know I had not abandoned them.
I had a Zoom meeting with a colleague about a year ago that still bothers me. She apprently does not have a dedicated office with a door and her choice of Zoom positions was out in the open in their living room. Her husband kept creeping in and out of the meeting rifling through drawers and opening furniture. She seemed to not be bothered by it but I couldn’t take my thoughts of what I was seeing. What was he looking for? Did he need it right then for the half hour his wife was on a work call? Did he just not respect her work? And that bright green sweater was really too much! It was a complete distraction for me. i believe we needed to follow up with many emails after the meeting to reinforce the topic of the Zoom meeting, which essentially was a waste of time.
What bothers me most about these arrangements is that rarely have I encountered a small business owned by men where there is not a commercial office. I am sure there are many cultural reasons for women working out of their homes more often than men. However, I do wonder if it places us at a disadvantage for winning business. This drives me to continue to keep my office space separate from my home. Financially, this may not always be the case so I have moved my home office up to my third floor where at least 2 doors can separate me from my needy pets, whom I love dearly, but cannot be there 24/7 for them.
Office sharing, particularly for women owned micro businesses, may be a better option in the future. We do not need to see your children, or your kitty taking over the computer screen, or your partner throwing books around, or dogs leaning in until the door opens and they live like the gate has just opened! If you absolutely cannot afford commercial space rent, create a quiet space somewhere at home where distractions are minimized. Your focus and professional brand are likely to be impaired by having a home office with a state of chaos around it.
Be well.
