Working away from home

Working away from home has its challenges

If you find yourself in the ranks of the laid off or unemployed, you may not be able to find work in the locale that you live.  This is especially true if you are skilled, and the company which laid you off let go a good number of people who are also competing for the job you want.  One option people have found is to leave the family at home, and work in a distant city or town.   Working away from home brings more challenges than sometimes expected.  Here are some ideas to help stay in touch with family and friends back home.

Call Home Daily

One of my heroes, Zig Zigler says that when he is away from home, he tries to call his wife daily, no matter what the circumstances.  Calling home daily may seem like a lot of work, and depending on previous habits, daily may be too much.  If the kids need to go to ball practice, or something else calls the stay at home spouse or friend is not available all the time, find a time.  Make a time to communicate one on one just like you would over a cup of coffee or something cold.

When you call home, keep the contriversial things to a minimum.  In our home, we try not to discuss anything after 9:00 pm with our family members about anything that would cause contention.  Make a time to discuss those things, but keep it to a minimum and keep focus.

Make your time together quality time

Being Together, Working Apart: Dual-Career Families and the Work-Life Balance

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When you do get home on weekends, or whatever the allotted time is, make sure you are able to spend quality time with the family and friends.  People need each other, and that should go without saying.  Spend whatever time you can and make it worthwhile.  It’s easy to fill up your time with things you want to do and forget the people who really need you.

Make an effort to manage your finances well

It’s sometimes easy for one person at home to think that while the other one is gone, it’s ok to go out a few more times a week than usual.  And the person on the road may think that since they are gone, it’s only natural that they treat themselves to good meals.  What people don’t realize somtimes is that the combined extra spending of both parties can overspend the budget real quickly.  So make sure you discuss all spending and discuss your habits with each other.

Conclusion

Working away from home can be beneficial, and it can also present many new challenges.  Make sure you consider any possibile expenses or stress to a relationship before making the move.  Cars can break down, houses still need upkeep, and familes sometimes suffer because of the absence of someone important.  It’s important to understand the big picture.

Photo courtesy Flickr Photographer dejahthoris