It's now been almost a month (albeit a short one because it was February) since I started working 2-3 days a week as a subcontractor for a local firm of accountants.
That does mean more time spent at their offices and less time at my own.
In a lot of ways, that's good. I get to meet and chat to lots of new people, and I have been welcomed warmly there by everyone, they're really friendly. There's plenty of backup if I have a query, and I'm learning to use new programs, too. It also means cups of hot coffee arrive on my desk as if by magic without me needing to do anything about it :-)
But when I've been used to working from home and managing my own time, it's a bit of a shock to my system to have to switch my mobile off in office hours, take my lunch break exactly between 12 and 1, and only check the internet (including my business e-mail) at lunchtime.
That's not an indictment. The firm is a tight ship, well-organised and well-systematised, and I respect that. And I feel that, even though I'm a subcontractor, it's only right I should do exactly as the employees do vis-a-vis timekeeping etc. Otherwise I can wave goodbye to any chance of being part of the team. I've seen what happens when subcontractors abuse their status and I'm not going to do it.
Working from home does have the advantage that nobody minds if I wear a sweater and jeans, text Matt regularly, and pop outside to hang the washing up while a video is producing.
I'm enjoying having a mixture of office work and homework at the moment. Let's see how that goes.
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