I work from home and am supposed to be working but am wiped out - crushingly tired. Is it unethical to give up and try to work hard tomorrow?

[Heroine]

I have undertook to work 8 hours a day, and have nearly done so, but have a) been unproductive and b) am so wiped out I am aching and know that if I stop, I sleep (that I did at about 3pm). Is it unethical to give up, sleep and not worry in the hope that I will catch up tomorrow? I would normally just do so, but this contract is all about hours rather than job..

give up

you will be much more productive when not tired!

I'm sure you're not being U, but if it's about hours rather than the job, does it matter if you're unproductive? Or, rather, could you get into serious trouble if your boss checked up on you when you were supposed to be working and you answered the phone in a groggy voice after letting it ring for a long time?

FWIW I work from home too, but it's about job rather than hours in my case, and I'm a definite proponent of a refreshing afternoon nap when one is needed!

Are you getting ill? Or did you overdo it on the weekend?

If its all about the hours, do the 8 hours have to be taken within set hours ie between say 9 am - 6 pm?

How many hours do you have left? If more about hours than productivity, I would try and force myself to complete the 8 hours (providing, of course, you don't have 4 left!)

The problem is that, a) should they find out, you could be in trouble, and b) if you're still tired tomorrow and can't take the time off officially, you'll be in an even worse situation.

Can you have a kip and then do some work later to catch up on the hours?

If you didn't work from home, but in an office, would you have phoned in sick today?

YANBU I also work from home...I got tonsilitis last week and did nothing for 4 days! I got two irritated messages from a client today...was afraid for about a milisecond then thought "screw her".

Tis very hard being your own boss.

YANBU.

I'm contracted to work a certain number of hours a week. Some of those hours are determined by the meetings/events that I attend or co-ordinate but the remainder of my work is done across the week at my own choosing.

I'd always advise anyone stopping work before exhaustion sets in and resuming it after a rest. Even if that does result in an unconventional pattern of work. After all, it's the outcome that matters isn't it? And 8 hours of productive work done when you feel up to it has got to result in a far better job done.

Hi - I used to run a team of homeworkers, so could I give some advice?

Are you ill? If so, follow your employer's usual procedure for reporting that you're sick. (Usually a person-to-person call is required between employee/manager).

If your manager is not on duty, send an email, and put an answer-machine message on your phone asking callers to leave their number, and you or a colleague will respond to their call in the morning.

If you have a colleague you can ask to cover you tonight, do so.

In the morning, call your boss first thing, explain you were not well, and tell him/her what you did to contain the situation.

If you're just tired, I'd actually recommend you soldier on - you'd probably have to if you were in the office, after all.

The thing about homeworking is that you really have to show your boss that you can self-manage - which means that you HAVE to be able to make sure that the business suffers as little as possible during an emergency (such as illness).

Sounds like there might not be any laid-down procedures. Why not suggest something to your boss in case someone else has similar problems in future? Be proactive!

Hope you're feeling better tomorrow after you've got some rest.