The concept of SOHO has gained a lot of respect and acceptance in recent times. Earlier, individuals working from home were not thought of as professionals – they were not looked upon with the same dignity as corporate executives. But times have changed. Let us evaluate the SOHO option.

Advantages of a SOHO

• SOHO eliminates the need to invest in office spaces. All that is required is a room or a small portion of the house, which is carved out for the work/business. Infrastructure too is minimal.
• Overheads, such as cost of employees, can be saved. Family members can be used for administrative support in a home-operated business. Filing papers, typing work, making/answering calls, and sending faxes are just a few examples of the value they can add.
• Saving time, energy and money by cutting down on daily commute to work
• With flexibility in time, one can effectively balance between home and work responsibilities.
• SOHO is a good option for the physically challenged or those under regular medication.
• A lot of MNCs prefer to take advantage of the different time zones across the globe and hence encourage executives/consultants to work out of home on certain days of the week and certain hours of the day.

Disadvantages of SOHO

• SOHO operation tends to give a picture of a small business unit. Credibility and reliability become a major issue in the minds of the customers; simply because big companies opt to source services from big established and known vendors.
• SOHO can probably earn a lot of money but not give a person social limelight, fame and publicity.
• A SOHO operation is likely to remain that and not a large organisation unless one steps out of the threshold of the house – literally and psychologically.

SOHO Operations

Perspective for men

• Working from home for a man can mean many different things for his family. For the aging parents — their son, for a wife – her husband, and for the children — their father being around can give a phenomenal boost and emotional strength.
• Being the breadwinner of the house, the typical working father doesn’t get to spend much time with his children and misses out on their wonderful growing years.
• Unless the prototypes in the society understand in depth the nature of a SOHO business, its scope and growth potential, a man operating a SOHO runs the risk of being perceived as somoene who didn’t manage to find a good job.

Perspective for women

• SOHO is the most ideal option for women desirous of financial independence but unable to really leave home for full-time/part-time work. A SOHO can help a woman establish her own identity without her having to compromise on family duties and responsibilities.
• SOHO helps eliminate the guilt that arises from being away from home and children for prolonged hours.
• In case of a nuclear family and responsibility of small child/children, hiring a maid for daycare of the kid/s is a very workable and a mentally satisfying option as compared to leaving a child in a creche.

Requirements for a SOHO Operation

• Family support is critical when it comes to a SOHO operation. For instance, during client/customer meetings or conference calls, it is important not to have any background noise or disturbances such as a child crying, loud television sound and so on. The family should collectively support the SOHO worker, especially if the work space is not sound proof; else it can completely ruin the professional image in the eyes of the customer.
• Discipline is fundamental to a SOHO operation. Procrastination can very easily become a routine if not worked upon in the initial stages itself. Procrastination can lead to missed deadlines — and missed opportunities.
• Flexibility in working hours can lead to stretching the work hours into late nights and beginning the following day late. This can take a toll on one’s health.
• Image management can be an issue in a SOHO operation. Because one works from home, he/she tends to work in very casual/informal attire.
• Sudden client visit can put the person in a very embarrassing situation. Hence, pyjamas, t-shirts, night wear, shorts etc., should be avoided as a rule during the working hours.
• The family members need to be trained in answering calls professionally; The client/ potential client on the other side should not even vaguely doubt about the location or type of the office.
• In today’s context, laptop/computer, printer, access to the internet, fax machine, a dedicated landline for work, visiting cards, etc., are a must. The SOHO would ideally be secluded from the rest of the house.
• Where communication techniques such as Skype or video conferencing are concerned, one needs to be very careful about the decor of SOHO. For example, one cannot have a bed, or a chair dumped with clothes, or a shabby room in the background, as the camera on the computer captures the view of the room.

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How it all starts

Every workplace has its own demands. The work stress can push a person to perform better and show results, but only to an extent. When this stress prolongs, it drains the person of energy, creativity and motivation. What can matter worse is the lack of a companion or friend with whom one can share his/her tensions, fears and feelings. In these traumatised moments, if one does find a friend of the opposite sex, nature plays its role. The same lady who never really took a second look in the mirror before leaving for work, would now take extra effort to look better, wear the best outfits, touch up with an eye-liner and the most favourite perfume, and top it up with a customised hair style with a specialist. In the same way, a man would ensure having a cleaner shave, pull out the best shirts, invest in branded attire, and maybe buy some trendy glasses. In short, both would make an attempt to come best dressed in anticipation of winning compliments from the other.

Romance can bring out the best or the worst in people. To facilitate ease in comprehension, I would like to categorise workplace romance into unmarried individuals, and either or both married individuals.

Romance between unmarried individuals

Here, we can typically imagine professionals in their mid-20s, in the beginning of their careers, independent and not yet committed to anyone.

The Pros

• Productivity and performance improves radically at this initial stage.
• Self-motivation propels the individual to demonstrate his/her accomplishments and creativity.
• Work hours tend to increase both in the mornings and evenings in an attempt to be in the vicinity of the person desired.
• The individuals feel special about themselves and have a higher self-esteem.
• They desire to be recognised as a better team worker and performer, and secretly hope that their partner is aware of these accomplishments.
• Being in the same environment for most of the active part of the day, chances of the individuals knowing the true nature of the partner are certainly higher than through mere dates or outings.

The Cons

• As long as both individuals are at the hierarchy at which they began, the going is fine. However, if one rises the career graph faster than the other, either of the following is possible:
  • The more successful partner may start moving in a different circuit and find no time for or consciously avoid his/her partner.
  • The one lagging behind may harbor an inferiority complex and may knowingly or unknowingly avoid the other partner.
• Workplace competition and personal career aspirations may lead to cracks to the blooming romance if either of the partners feel their romance inhibiting their personal growth.

Thus, unmarried individuals need to be sure they are romancing because they like the partner genuinely and not because they merely love the idea of being in romance.

Romance between either/both married individuals

Recently, I happened to meet an old-time friend, whom I was not in touch with of-late. I was quite perturbed to see an erstwhile vibrant, professional, slim, well-dressed and beautiful Neha with a puffed body and swollen face. There were no traces of any charm or happiness on her face clad with a plastic smile. Married to the person of her choice, Neha has a three-year-old daughter. A few months back, she happened to meet a colleague, newly transferred to the same branch. What began initially as a cordial and formal tea chats soon transcended to evening drives once in a while. As both incidentally felt a sort of stagnancy or no excitement in their individual married lives, they clicked instantly, hence had a lot to share. Within a few months, this friendship turned into romance which then transcended to a serious relationship and finally into a tragic break-up. Neha’s feelings, family expectations, conflict of values, work and other family demands took a toll on her entire existence.

The Pros

• Workplace romance between married individuals stems not from the premise of an extra-marital affair but from the premise of an “office spouse”. An office spouse is a colleague usually of the opposite sex, with whom one shares a special relationship, having bonds similar to those of a marriage such as confidentiality, loyalty, sharing of experiences, and an unusual degree of honesty or openness.
• Productivity at work also improves with the positive strokes obtained through the new relationship.
• Meeting with the partner, spending quality moments can help an individual combat his/her personal issues and face situations with grit.

The Cons

• A nice and pleasant romance, however, can land up in a lot of negativity if any one of the partners begins expecting and demanding time or attention, more than what the other one can give. Possessiveness gradually steps in.
• Once the initial ecstasy dies off, it becomes impossible for one to give in to the other person’s demands. What used to be a genuine gesture now becomes a forced and unwilling gesture and thus adds to the mental strain. What began as an energy-giving experience now turns into an energy-draining relationship.
• Work performance can deteriorate drastically with the stress of balancing home, work and the new relationship. This balancing act can get even worse if any sort of physical intimacy comes in the romance, as it definitely will affect the personal relationship with the actual spouse.
• The romance can be so stressful that usually the one, who is more practical of the two, begins avoiding the other. The latter usually turns into an emotional disaster, unable to give his/her 100 per cent either at work or home and unable to perform. In extreme cases, this vulnerability can lead to suicidal tendencies.
• Reputation at workplace can be ruined with either slacks in performance or erratic/changed behaviours. In any case, such individuals become a hot topic of discussion in office gossips.
• Last but not the least, if either of these individuals already have a child/children, then the latter can get affected adversely and be left confused with the sudden change in behaviours of their parent.

There can be far more miseries at the end of it, if sensibility does not prevail. Women are usually more emotionally inclined than men and hence tend to suffer far more than men. Therefore, any movement in this direction must be taken with a lot of deliberation on its ramifications.

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Tips for effective telephone conversation

Answer a call not earlier than two rings and not later than three rings for the following reasons:

• The buffer time of two rings should be used to consciously de-link from the earlier thought process since it is very difficult to continue the same trail of thought after a sudden break. This buffer time should also be used to cough up and clear the throat as it is bad manners to lift the phone to say ‘Hello’ and realise that the voice isn’t supporting.
• The call should not be delayed beyond three rings; simply because what applies to others applies to us as well. Would we like to be kept waiting had we been the caller?

Answer yours calls with proper greeting. A higher position in the organisation is no reason to give an abrupt response of “Yes?”. Greet the caller followed by stating your company name. E.g. “Good Morning, Company Name”.

If you are the caller, then it is mandatory to introduce yourself. This holds true especially if you expect a known person to answer but hear a different voice. It is unsophisticated and crude to call and then ask, “Who’s this?” A greeting followed by an introduction and a polite request as in, “Good Morning, may I speak to.?” The use of the word “may” is more appropriate than either of “can” or “could”.

It is important to maintain a rhythm while speaking on the phone. What could perhaps be communicated in the form of hand gestures or facial expressions must be conveyed only through words. Hence a good pace and an even rhythm are essential. Don’t we often get irritated with people who tend to talk very fast and have sudden breaks – like a passenger in a speeding car giving sudden and frequent jerks with unexpected speed-breakers?

Clarity is yet another important element in telephonic conversation. In an attempt to impress, a phoney and borrowed accent can often irk the person at the other end, and cause more damage than good. One would rather be grammatically correct and use appropriate words than flaunt an artificial accent, especially with a tongue-rolling ‘r’. If in this process, a word is pronounced naturally without the accent, it could be embarrassing. Therefore it is safer to be natural than fake.

Continuity in a conversation can suffer with unnecessary and excessive use of certain stumbling or hesitating sounds such as ‘aah’ and ‘hmm’. These hinder the other person’s comprehension as well as interpretation. In official conversations too, one should avoid the use of certain sounds/phrases, which may be interpreted as either lack of content or lack of confidence on the part of the speaker. A few examples are given below.

• “You know” — used usually at the end of a statement
• “I mean” — used usually in the middle of a statement, breaking the flow of an ongoing statement.
• “OK?” — used usually at the end of a statement, as a means to ask if the other person has understood.

A telephonic conversation can be very dry and banal with the usual way of talking. However, use of certain words used effectively at the right time, can do much more than simply carrying on the conversation. Genuine use of words such as “great” or “fantastic” instead of a “ya” or “OK” as a response to the other person’s suggestion can actually create good vibes and enliven him/her. Especially in business discussions, these small gestures benefit immensely.

Thus, while talking on the phone, a medium-paced, low-pitched, firm and modulated voice can be more effective than conversation without etiquette.

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