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Working from a home office poses unique challenges for individuals, and greater challenges for partners and teams.

First and foremost - Keep it Legal! Your local zoning laws may not allow work from home. It's usually a traffic issue, and usually only becomes an issue if your neighbors complain. As an individual, unless you get lots of big UPS deliveries of host many group meetings, you probably won't irritate your neighbors. As you increase the number of people working from your home, you increase the likelihood your neighbors will complain--especially if your officemates can't park in your driveway. Sometimes you can get a zoning variance; other times you'll have to relocate your office outside your home. Be smart. Think ahead and about your neighbors before you expand your in-home office.

Protect Yourself with Insurance. Most Homeowner insurance policies do not cover a home office unless you purchase that coverage. Make sure you're insured for equipment loss, and personal injury. I don't know of any Homeowner policies that will insure your data; off-the-shelf software programs Yes, data and custom programs No. The last thing you need is for your officemate to trip and break something serious, then sue you when you aren't covered.

Configure your workspace so everyone can work comfortably. You have essentially three options:

• Take Shifts. If you must share a single computer or workspace, schedule shifts. Remember to clear your clutter at the end of your shift, so your workmate can start fresh.
• Separate Rooms. If you can arrange it, setup your workspaces in separate rooms and connect with a wireless network. At one point, I had computers setup and networked in my family room office, the living room, and the basement. That gave everyone the privacy and space needed to concentrate.
• One Big Room. If you don't have space in multiple rooms, make sure the one you choose for your office is big enough to comfortable hold two workspaces. Everyone works differently and everyone needs to spread out work from time to time; so, don't try to work elbow-to-elbow.

Work schedules and styles differ from one person to the next; so, respect that. One of the benefits of working from a home office is the flexibility to work the way you prefer. You may be a workaholic who works from early morning till late at night; your officemate may prefer to work a few hours in the morning and a few more in the evening. That's ok. Don't try to impose your work habits on your officemate.

Define shared responsibilities and expenses.

Make a list of shared responsibilities and expenses, and address them before they become an issue.

• Who's going to clean the office and when? I don't mean picking up clutter; I mean vaccuuming and dusting.
• Who's responsible for emptying the trash?
• Who makes the coffee and who buys it?
• Who buys and pays for commonly used supplies, like printer ink and paper?
• Will you share utility expenses?
• Who gets to choose the radio station?

If your officemate isn't a member of the family, you've got security and comfort issues to address.

• How do you feel about giving an outsider access to your house 24/7 and when you're not there?
• How does your officemate feel about having keyholder responsibility?

If you give your officemate a house key, discuss and set procedures for handling surprise situations.

• Should your mate answer the phone or door?
• Can your mate sign for packages or contractor work?
• What's the procedure if you're not there and your officemate arrives to discover a house-related problem, like the heat or power not working, a plumbing problem, a sick or injured pet, or even, vandalism or a break-in?
• Don't expect your officemate to babysit your pets or kids. It's one thing if there's an emergency; but, your mate is there with work to do; pets and kids are a distraction. Likewise, your officemate isn't there to start your supper nightly.

Anyone who's worked in a traditional office knows how difficult it can be when a group of people try to work together. You've got additional challenges with your home office, because it's part of your house. Think ahead and plan carefully.