Remote Work Tips

Why Remote Work?

Remote work is linked to an increase in job satisfaction due to employees feeling less stressed at work, being more productive in less time, and experiencing an increase morale due to the flexibility of their schedule (Flex Jobs, Remote Work Statistics). Also, remote work could potentially cost the employer less in terms of office space and loss in productivity of employees due to stress and sick days. Nevertheless, remote work is here to stay in the workplace.

Rising to the Challenge

As an early career professional it is helpful to consider the following prior to starting your intern/co-op or new full-time role at a company remotely.

Communication Tools: Familiarize yourself with the features that your team and company are using to communicate for virtual meetings and daily communication. For instance you may use video meeting tools such as Zoom or GoToMeeting and quick messaging tools for instant messaging such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Discord. Watch tutorials from the company about features and set your controls and settings to best work for you, so you do receive that new meeting notification and tie it to your email inbox to block time off of your calendar.

Communication Expectations: Observe and ask how often do colleagues check-in. What is expected and the norm regarding 1on1 meetings with your supervisor or weekly team meetings? Does your supervisor have guidelines or expectations regarding how you are showing progress on your projects or daily tasks? What is the best way for your colleagues to reach you and vice versa (i.e. Teams, Slack). I would lean on telling you to over-communicate. You can no longer lean over a desk to update a colleague on a conversation you had with a client. Find ways to best communicate your successes, needs, and progress with your colleagues and supervisor. Keeping a running list of items to cover in a weekly 1 on 1 meeting with your supervisor is a good way to cover your bases.

Historical Information: Read and review all the materials your supervisor or predecessor gives you. The hallway conversations that remind you about your orientation guide to review or first few days checklist do not exist. Therefore, if you have been given an employee handbook or access to the files of the previous person who held your position, take it all in and write notes to remember. This will help fill the gap between what you think your job entails and what you will be expected to do.

Project Management: How is your team currently communicating project updates? Are you using a tool like Trello or Microsoft Project? Again, review the "How-to" guides for the tools and review past communication within the tool to determine what best practices are for notifying colleagues of updates in a timely manner (i.e. weekly). As a new employee you will need to earn your new colleagues' trust and one way to do this is to show your contributions by providing regular updates using appropriate communication channels.

Time Zones: Several companies that have remote teams span across time zones. I often use a time zone/word clock tool to ensure that when I'm communicating with or inviting colleagues to meetings in a different time zone that the time will work their office hours.

Preparation. At University of Cincinnati, students have access to LinkedIn Learning with their school email address. My colleagues in Experience Based Learning & Career Education created the following "Student Remote Worker Instruction" Training set for YOU.

Sustaining the Enjoyment of Working Remotely

Here are considerations for continuing to enjoy the benefits of working remotely and working past the feelings of loneliness that can occur.

Reliable Technology. Make sure that you have the WiFi connection necessary to run video during video call meetings. A good pair of headphones can also go a long way for others to hear you during team meetings when there may be background noise present.

Build Community. There may be groups within your organization or in the community where you live based on your interests for for remote workers. Continue to find ways to connect with others based on your personal and work related interests. Some remote offices have Microsoft Teams or Slack Channels dedicated to "water cooler" chats and staying in touch about social topics like local sports. Still keep it professional, but find ways to connect outside of work projects with your office colleagues. Additionally, professional associations are also an avenue to maintain this connection to others and grasp a good understanding of cutting edge topics/resources for your field.

Consider your Workspace. What do you need to feel comfortable and also be productive? Is working in a local coffee shop for you ideal? Or do you need a quiet home office? Take into consideration your personal needs. For instance, I missed my standing desk at my campus office and purchased something similar for me to use at home so I can stand periodically throughout the day.

Understand your Workstyle. When are you most productive? Industrial Organizational Psychologist, Adam Grant knows that he is most productive in the mornings. So he has uninterrupted work time during morning hours and his afternoons are spent in meetings collaborating and working creatively with others. The type of work you do may dictate this a bit, but understanding how you can best spend your time most effectively and efficiently is imperative when working remotely as no none is monitoring this but YOU (so make your schedule work for you). For instance, if I had my email open all day I would stop every 5 minutes (and do when it is open) to answer email. I found that I do need to close email down when I have blocks of time open during the day to complete my to do list and make progress on long-term projects. Check out the following Hubspot blog on "How to Work from Home: 20 Tips from People who do it Successfully".

Embrace the Flexibility. Know when to log off. If you love your work and are super invested it may be hard to walk away, but studies show that even taking a 15 minutes break can increase your level of productivity when you come back to work. Find the time to refresh yourself during the day and build in time to take lunch, connect with others, and take care of your physical, mental, and personal health.