remote work / home-based work
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remote work
A modern form of work in which employees do their professional tasks from home, often with the help of a computer. Synonymous with home office.
Viele Firmen bieten ihren Mitarbeitern inzwischen zwei Tage Heimarbeit pro Woche an.
Many companies now offer their employees two days of remote work per week.
The word consists of 'Heim' (home, another word for Zuhause) and 'Arbeit' (work). So it literally describes work that you do at home.
Dank der Möglichkeit zur Heimarbeit kann ich Familie und Beruf besser vereinbaren.
Thanks to the option of remote work, I can better balance family and career.
The meaning depends heavily on the context. In connection with 'Computer' (computer), 'Büro' (office), 'Angestellte' (employees), or 'online' (online), it means modern office work from home. If people are talking about 'manueller Arbeit' (manual work), 'Montage' (assembly), or historical occupations, the traditional form is meant.
Für meine Heimarbeit brauche ich nur einen Laptop und eine stabile Internetverbindung.
For my remote work, I only need a laptop and a stable internet connection.
To express that someone is working from home, the preposition 'in' is often used. You can say 'in Heimarbeit sein' (to be working from home) or 'etwas in Heimarbeit erledigen' (to do something from home).
Ich bin heute in Heimarbeit und daher nicht im Büro erreichbar.
I am working from home today and therefore cannot be reached at the office.
In the modern context, 'Heimarbeit' (remote work) is often used with verbs such as 'anbieten' (to offer), 'beantragen' (to apply for/request), 'genehmigen' (to approve), or 'machen' (to do). People also talk about 'Tagen in Heimarbeit' (days working from home).
Mein Chef hat mir zwei Tage Heimarbeit pro Woche genehmigt.
My boss approved two days of remote work per week for me.
housework / term paper
'die Hausarbeit' and 'die Heimarbeit' sound similar, but they do not mean the same thing. 'Hausarbeit' means either household tasks or a written paper for school or university. 'Heimarbeit' means professional work that you do at home, often on a computer or as work for an employer. The risk of confusion comes from the fact that both words are connected to work at home. If it is about cleaning, cooking, or a paper for university, 'Hausarbeit' fits. If it is about paid work from home, 'Heimarbeit' fits.
Seit diesem Jahr macht meine Kollegin zweimal pro Woche Heimarbeit.
Since this year, my colleague has been doing remote work twice a week.
Nach dem Abendessen erledigt Tom noch die Hausarbeit und räumt die Küche auf.
After dinner, Tom still does the housework and cleans up the kitchen.