An Employees Guide To Working From Home / Working Remotely
/Lots of information already exists to help leaders introduce a ‘working from home’ / ‘working remotely’ culture. I thought now would be a good time for me to take a different approach and offer some coaching / professional development training aimed at everyday employees who are and/or will be working remotely perhaps for the first time.
The following are 7 main challenges… and solutions I believe are important to being a productive, proud and well-balanced employee. At the end of this post is also a link to my website and contact information in case you want to get hold of me and have some specific questions - I’m always happy to help.
Before I start however I want to say that as much as remote work seems like the latest trend that everyone should want more than anything, the reality is working remotely isn’t easy and certainly not for everyone. On that, it isn’t one-size-fits all either. What works for me might not work for you and visa versa. For example, I know many people who work well in a busy coffee-shop while for me they are simply places where I get distracted.
Challenge 1. Feeling Isolated
One of the biggest challenges you might experience is feeling isolated, alone and disconnected to your coworkers and to projects. This is understandable since many office workers don’t realize how much important information is shared during scheduled and impromptu meetings, hollering over each other’s partitions or chatting on the way to a meeting, lunch or grabbing a coffee.
If you are finding yourself working from home / working remotely, make specific effort to do two things:
Look for opportunities to make a phone call or better yet, a video call to discuss a project or issue. It may seem like it takes time to ‘call’ or ‘link’ but I assure you, the quality and quantity of information you can share in a voice call is far greater than what most of us could type into an email… or that our readers would pay attention to.
Even if you have no business purpose, take the extra effort to make a call just to say hi and do a casual check-in.
Photo by Anna auza
Challenge 2. Introvert versus Extravert
Introverts gain energy and are often more productive when they work alone, while extroverts gain energy and work better when they have the opportunity to spend time with other people. Introverts will seek out quiet spaces with few people while extroverts will often seek out public spaces and crowds of people they can talk with.
For us introverts working from home / working remotely, this may be one of those odd times where we have an advantage because we usually do well working alone. But still, I encourage all you introverts not to forget to check in and hear other people’s voices.
For extraverts, because you do well when you are in contact with other people it will be natural for you to want to reach out by phone and with video conferencing. This is your opportunity to help your coworkers (perhaps the introverts), who may be hesitant to reaching out. Do them a favour and ask for a call and/or video call.
Challenge 3. Manage Project / Work Expectations
It’s natural for us to use email - especially when we are not near to the person we need to connect with. But take care, as I share when I deliver Email Etiquette training, email was designed as a confirmation tool. Email is not good for brainstorming or discussing options. It’s natural for you and I to interpret something we read (or write), in an email as ‘decision made’.
Many people think writing very brief email is a good thing. The unfortunate thing is writing a brief email often sounds pushy, demanding or bossy. If you are feeling ‘triggered’ by what someone has written I recommend giving people the benefit of the doubt because email tone can be interpreted much differently than the writer intended. An interesting experiment would be to take a look at your own email; if you were to receive them do they sound positive and courteous or cold and abrupt?
When you have options, proactively manage your expectations and the expectations of your coworkers / suppliers / customers. As I said earlier, I recommend picking up the phone – you will share information more quickly and be more creative. If you do use email:
Say Hi or Hello… and use their name (this lowers the abrupt tone of email). If you email with the person 20 times per day say hi only once.
Mention you are offering an option for discussion and look forward to their ideas / input / suggestions.
Use bullets if you have two or more points. Just like I’ve done in this example. Bullets are great because they create a visual reminder.
Use a descriptive Subject Line with 5-7 words.
Challenge 4. Prepare for Meetings
Meetings will continue… and make sure they do; they will simply be over the phone or on a video call. I very seriously recommend that even for a meeting with one other person that you write / share an email in advance to identify topics you want to discuss. This email will help you get clear on what you want to talk about (and why), and it will also help your coworker / supplier prepare. Topics you might like to cover include:
Questions you have
Ideas or suggestions you have
Points of concern
I hesitate to call this a meeting agenda but that’s exactly what it is. Agendas have a bad reputation as being complicated… so don’t let them be. I bet you can do this with 2 sentences (which includes meeting time and connection information) and a few bullets. Give it a try.
Challenge 5. Follow Up after Meetings
I’m thrilled you’ve taken my advice in Challenge #4 and sent a quick meeting agenda email. Now, send an equally short message after the meeting by using the Reply All button which outlines the decisions that were made. This way, you will be managing everyone’s expectations (including your own), by having created a simple record everyone can fall back on days and weeks later.
Challenge 6. Other People are Home With You
If working remotely was a hasty decision by your company you might find other family members are also at home and not used to you working from home. You may also have a partner who is working and/or children who are doing homework, playing or everyone in different rooms watching Netflix.
Focus is a priority if you are going to be able to concentrate and work strategically. Three things I recommend:
Most of us do our best to work in a quiet area… or at least not chaotic areas. If you are like me and noise distracts you, consider investing in noise cancellation headphones.
Try to find a space that is all your own - at least during the day. Find a comfortable table and chair and a water bottle / coffee mug (with a lid).
When you are on a phone or video call do your absolute best to be in a quiet area and always use a headset / earbuds. I recommend using a headset / earbuds even if you are by yourself since it will help the other person / people on the call hear you clearly.
Challenge 7. Take Time To Step Away - Take Breaks
When working from home you can often find you get to your computer and start working earlier in the morning than if you were traveling to the office. Then, before you know it the morning has passed. If you do stop to go to the kitchen for coffee or lunch… or take the dog outside, you rush back to the office. The thing is, study after study demonstrates the importance taking breaks and its impact on increased productivity and creativity.
When you work in a typical office there are distractions that are natural - from meetings, impromptu conversations to having to walking to a food court for coffee or lunch. These mental breaks are important. So, make it a priority to take the same time to stop working for 10 or 15 minutes a few times each day. Put in a load of laundry - or better yet, get some air by walking around the block. Just don’t fall down the social media vortex and lose an hour.
I hope this article dedicated to you - the employee has been helpful. There are more Email Etiquette, Time Management. Meeting Management and Leadership Skills I train on but these are some of the most important. If you want more information on those I’m happy to help – let me know.
Thanks for reading An Employees Guide To Working From Home / Working Remotely.
If i can help you in any way, please let me know. Click HERE to link to my professional development website.
Bruce
#WorkFromHomeTip #WorkRemotely #HR #stayhomechallenge #Work
About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.
Bruce is Corporate Trainer and Executive Coach.
As a Corporate Trainer Bruce Mayhew (of BMC) specialize in customized Time Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.
BMC helps your greatest assets think productive and be productive.
Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.
