Many Brokers struggle to achieve the hallowed work/life balance, despite the industry's flexibility, but an increasing number of brokers are choosing to work from home and finding the results very positive. Patrick Chidambaram of Choice Home Loans, who works out of his Elanora Heights home, says he wouldn't have it any other way.
Video transcript below:
Anna Temple, Australian Broker Online
Anna Temple: Many brokers struggle to achieve the hallowed work/life balance despite the industry’s flexibility but an increasing number of brokers are choosing to work from home and find the results very positive. Patrick Chidambaram of Choice Home Loans who works out from his Elanora Heights home says he was attracted to broking because it was an industry which allowed for flexibility and one where you get out what you put in.
Patrick Chidambaram, Choice Home Loans
Patrick Chidambaram: Besides the career which everyone loves, is the ability to sort of manage your own destiny as far as workwise. If you work more - you get paid more, if you work less - you get paid less, if you work smarter - you probably get paid better. So, not having a traditional 8 hour day, work day appealed to me quite a lot.
Anna Temple: And work smarter was the ethos behind Chidambaram’s move to his home office. He believes we are now connected, [all of us are] by technology he saw no need to compromise his time with his family in order to be a productive broker.
Patrick Chidambaram: I used to have an office in the city which I shared with some Financial Planners which was great, but it was a long commute about an hour each way. Then my wife and I decided to start a family and I thought it would be an opportune time to move home, so I could spend more time with the kids and watch them grow up. So I probably took a hit in income but I think I get to watch my kids grow up which is a real benefit. Having that ability to do that is something that I know a lot of people don’t have and I feel pretty fortunate to be able to do that.
Anna Temple: Although Chidambaram does admit that perhaps his pockets did take a hit, he believes the move has been worth it. But has he ever had a negative reaction to his working environment from a [payroll] client?
Patrick Chidambaram: Look occasionally on rare occasions but those are probably people I don’t want to deal with anyway. If people say, “look I don’t want to deal with you because you don’t have an office”; I have office address in the city I can still see them at, but the people I deal with come from a referral source and my network understands the family is a priority. If people say, “look I need to see you during dinner time, I say well I can’t do that because I got to worry about the kids”. So to answer your question directly? NO! Rarely if ever am I knocked back for not having an office.
Anna Temple: This is Anna Temple reporting for Australian Broker Online.
