WAHM Forums

Hi there ladies!

I have been lurking this board for years and have gotten some great leads from it. Now that I'm happily working at home, I've got a question for you all:

How do get your family and friends to respect that fact that you're REALLY working?

I've got friends who call me during the day who just want to chit chat. Lately I've been letting it go to voice mail, but I can't understand why they can't give me the same respect as though I work in a regular office setting.

How do you ladies deal with this?

Hi! I've been there, too! I resorted to things like screening my calls and turning off my phone. Sometimes you just have to be authoritative to get people to respect your time. Tell them your working hours and that you are not available to chat or go anywhere, but you would be happy to call them when you are finished.

Unfortunately, there will always be people who "want what they want when they want it," but you have to do what's best for you and your family first. If they are truly your friends, they will learn to respect that you must earn a living for your family.

I hope things get better for you!

Blinky http://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley1.gif

Mine have never done that, not sure why. I've always kept them informed of my office hours and they rarely interrupt me, except one sister who never understood why I can't work and socialize at the same time. But I think that's because that's the wayshe works.:)

I do hope you can get yours to respect your working hours soon. That must be very difficult to deal with.

When I'm on a tight deadline, unless it's my kids, I don't answer the phone. Later, when the work is in, I can call them back.

Thanks for letting me vent!

A friend called me repeatedly the other day. When I finally called her back (and scolded her for calling during my business hours) I discovered she was just calling to tall me some silly neighborhood gossip. smileys/smiley5.gif Now if I worked in an office I doubt she'd call me like that. Maybe I just need new friends?

Thanks for letting me vent!

A friend called me repeatedly the other day. When I finally called her back (and scolded her for calling during my business hours) I discovered she was just calling to tall me some silly neighborhood gossip. smileys/smiley5.gif Now if I worked in an office I doubt she'd call me like that. Maybe I just need new friends?


Could be! http://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley36.gif I had a friend like that! I felt sorry for her because all of her children were disabled in some way and she didn't have many friends. Our kids were in the same class in school and at first it was great. We went out to lunch a few days a week and it was great to have playdates for the kids, but she got to the point where she called me five and six times a day. One day, after I had been to her house for a playdate and she had already called before I got home, I took the phone off the hook. You'll never guess what she did..... she drove out to my house to tell me the phone was off the hook! http://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley7.gif Some people just don't get the hint!

What did I do about her? Nothing, we ended up moving and I never see her anymore. You're right, though, if I had the job I have now, she would NEVER call me at work!

Blinky http://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley31.gif

I've been there as well. I think you just have to nicely explain that even though it's a work at home job, you're expected to perform certain duties and get certain things done.

I new here, but not new to working at home.

My biggest culprit was my MIL. I'd just cut her off (nicely) smileys/smiley2.gif and tell her that I really needed to get back to work ... or that my boss was calling.

If/when I get my freelancing off the ground, I'll have to come up with a new excuse!