Your Estimated Hold Time is....

There are some really great benefits to working from home.  My favorite of these is that, most of the time, I can dress however I please.  My uniform in all but the hottest months typically consists of jeans and an appropriate number of layers to keep me warm without running up the equivalent of the national debt in heating bills.  

The downside is, that here it is Sunday evening at 7PM, and I'm working.  With an office in your home, you are never really 'off.'  True, you can close the door, turn the ringer off on the phone, and try to ignore your office -- but it is right there.  The temptation just to go in for a few minutes to catch up on paperwork always looms.  I was never tempted to do this when I had to drive 20 minutes to the office...  

So tonight I had to make a call to a supplier, who has employees that are actually stuck working on Sunday evening.  Apparently not many of them though... the lovely recorded message told me 32 minutes ago that my estimated wait time was 64 minutes -- what???  

Working from home means I can roam around the house - grab a snack, chat with the family, start a load of laundry - all while I listen to the lovely hold music, interrupted periodically by an annoying voice telling me that my patience is appreciated.  There is a downside to this freedom - on one occasion I forgot why I was holding, and, after holding for 45  minutes  had to ask the person who finally answered to hold while I ran into my office to refresh my memory on why I was calling!  There was a feeling of justice when I said "Can I put you on hold for just a minute while I run back into my office?  I've been on hold so long I can't remember what I was calling about."

If hold times continue to be this long, I can see great possibilities for incorporating my annual resolution to exercise more into hold times - the music will be great to listen to while I walk on my treadmill.  I wonder what the person on the other end will think when they hear my heavy breathing?