Does working from home sound like an appealing job option? If so, you’ll be happy to know that there are numerous remote work job opportunities right here in Canada. While some remote jobs allow you to work from home on a full-time basis and rarely, if ever, go into the office, the vast majority of today’s remote job options are typically hybrid jobs. This means that it’s likely that you may have to travel to the office at least 2-3 days per week.

Even hybrid jobs give workers a lot of flexibility in their scheduling, which makes it easier to maintain a healthy work-life balance. You do, however, have to determine which days you want to go into the office each week. This guide provides some tips to help you determine which days are the best days to work from home and which days you should head into the office.

how many days from home

The first thing you need to determine is how many days you want to work from home and how many days you want to work at the office each week. Some employers may require you to come to the office a set number of days each week, which is typically 2 or 3 days. Even if there is no such requirement, a good mix is to spend 2-3 days at home and 2-3 days at the office. This schedule gives you plenty of flexibility to work from home most days, while still staying connected to the office and your coworkers.

Woman talking on the phone in front of a window
Woman talking on the phone in front of a window

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work responsibilities

Next, you need to consider your work responsibilities and if there are certain days that you must be at the office. For example, do you have to attend team meetings on Mondays? Or are there certain days of the week that you meet with clients at the office? Work commitments can easily help shape your schedule, so if there are set days of the week that you already have to go to the office, it’s best to just work a full day there.

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personal demands

You also want to consider your personal demands. For example, do your kids have baseball practice on Wednesday nights? Is there a certain day of the week that you like to schedule appointments, such as hair, doctor or dentist appointments? Take these things into consideration and when possible, work from home on days when you have a high number of personal demands.

Many people also work from home on Mondays or Fridays due to their weekend schedule. Think about how you spend your weekends. Do you go out of town many weekends and like flexibility on Friday afternoons? If so, you might want to designate Fridays as a work-from-home day. On the other hand, do you have busy weekends and always dread the Monday morning rush? If so, you may prefer to start your work week off from home.

personal choice

Once you factor in your work and personal demands, you can consider your own personal preferences. This factor depends on your personality and workload. For example, some people prefer to work at the office three days in a row, such as Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then take the next two days to work from home. This is a good option if you don’t like changing your work setting every day or if you carry a lot of materials and supplies back and forth from work and you don’t want to pack them up every day.

On the other hand, you may prefer to break your workweek up by working at the office Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and working from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is a good option for those who like the constant change in their work setting and who can quickly set up their workstation at their work or home office.

flexibility

If you’re fortunate enough to have a remote job that doesn’t require you to have set days you come to the office and set days you work from home, you may want to leave some flexibility in your schedule. This method requires you to plan each week out based on your work schedule and personal demands. This is an ideal work option for some workers, but others prefer the consistency of a set schedule. Either way, it’s important to maintain frequent communication with your supervisor, so they always know where you’re working from on any given day.

When determining your work schedule, it makes sense to align commitments with what needs to be done at the office. After factoring in your job responsibilities, however, you should consider what type of hybrid schedule can boost your productivity, ensure you’re completing your work on time and help you maintain a healthy work-life balance.

For additional reading on remote jobs, check out these pertinent articles:

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