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​Have you ever dreamt about working from home? To have the ability to go to the gym in your lunch break, avoid the commute in peak hour, and be rid of office politics forever? Well, it’s not completely unattainable.

In fact, for some it’s the lifestyle they lead each day. We chat with Hazel Rybinski, an SAP Payroll Functional Consultant from Brisbane, about why she made the jump, how she stays motivated, and what advice she gives to others that want to make that lifestyle change too.

Speller: Is it harder to stay motivated working from home compared to working in an office?
Hazel: Motivation is very individual. To me, because I enjoy and love the work that I do, it makes me motivated to work harder. There are no distractions for me and working from home makes it even more enjoyable.

Speller: Have you implemented any strategies to ensure that you don’t get distracted?
Hazel: Yes. I do plan my day and I take note of all that I need to do. Prioritisation is paramount when working from home or else you do get distracted.

Speller: What would you say the biggest downfalls are when working from home compared to an office?
Hazel: One of the biggest downfall for me is, when you try to explain something to someone via email and it can be easily misunderstood.

Speller: What are your strongest skills?
Hazel: My best points are that I rely on self-motivation, I’m independent and look for solutions, self-disciplined and focused.

Speller: What made you make the decision to work from home? Was there a certain reason?
Hazel: I have a few reason and one of them is the work life balance. I am a workaholic person and I tend to stay at work long hours to finish things instead of finishing it the next day. And being married caused issues within my personal life coming home late. Working from home also saves me so much time commuting and instead I can use those commute hours training (sports).

Speller: Do you miss working in an office and would you ever go back to an in-house position?
Hazel: Yes, and No… I miss seeing people but because I get to work from home, I’m more productive. Working from home also doesn’t have the occasional annoyances of office life: interruptions, loud co-workers, and chatter so you can concentrate working.

Speller: Do you work as part of a team or are you in an autonomous role? If as part of a team, how do you keep it a collaborative team environment without having them there?
Hazel: This current role is I’m part of a team. We have regular daily meetings which gives everyone a chance to collaborate with our day to day activities.

Speller: If there are other SAP contractors out there looking to work from home, what would your advice be for them in regards to managing their workflow?
Hazel: Working from home can be perfect for people who can work independently. You need a lot of time management skills, prioritisation, discipline, focus and it can also be long hours.

Of course just like anything else there are pros and cons, however it depends how each individual manages it. Try it and see it for yourself… I have been working from home full time for 3 months now and I enjoyed it and won’t change it for anything.

What do you want to know about the SAP world? Leave a comment below and let us know!