For many employees and jobseekers, working from home sounds like a dream. You don’t have to get up early enough to get dressed, deal with colleagues that you can’t stand, or spend time and money on a daily commute from your house to your office and back. However, as is the case with most things in life, working from home isn’t as perfect as it might seem. If you’re ever offered a role that allows you to work from home during your job search, make sure you ask these questions before accepting the position.
1. How will I get paid?
In Myanmar, almost all offices pay in cash. However, if you’re working from home, you might be working for a company that’s located abroad, in which case payment becomes trickier. Do they have a local Myanmar branch where you can go and get paid in cash? Or will you need to set up a bank account so that they can transfer you the money? If you’re getting paid via bank transfer, keep in mind that your bank will take a certain percentage of the money that comes through — make sure you calculate that amount into your salary expectations.
2. What are my working hours?
It’s important to establish daily working hours, even if you’re working from home and don’t have a traditional 8-hour workday. If you fail to do so, your employer might email you with some tasks at 9 pm and expect you to immediately complete them. Additionally, if your employer is based abroad, ask if your working hours will be in their local time or yours. After all, 9am-5pm Myanmar time is very different from 9am-5pm New York time.
3. Do I get holiday leave?
Some people think that professionals who work from home don’t need any time off work because they already have the luxury of working remotely. However, everyone needs time off during which they can just completely forget about work. We’ve heard stories of employers who have forced employees to still work from their bed even when they’re ill. Like all workers, individuals who work from home need to rest when they’re sick and take time off when they’re starting to feel burned out.
4. Will I get electricity and internet allowances?
It’s easy to overlook this question because after all, you’re going to be paying for electricity and the internet with or without this job. However, you can’t do your work without electricity and internet, and it’s not fair for your employer to expect you to pay for those utilities when you’re using them to fulfill your duties as an employee. Think of it this way — if you worked in an office, would your employer expect you to pay part of the office’s electricity and internet bills at the end of every month? Of course not!
5.What’s the company culture like?
It’s always important to find out about the company’s culture beforehand, even if you’re going to be working from home. Although you won’t be in a physical office with the rest of the team, you’ll still need to communicate with them and it’s good to get a sense of how they operate on the whole. Do you have to pencil in a meeting to talk to your supervisor, or can you text them whenever you need their help on something? Does everyone get together for an annual Christmas party, or do you only get in touch with one another for work-related subjects? If the thought of being part of a super-formal team would deter you from an office job, then it’ll probably be the same for a work-from-home role as well.