Staying relevant when remote

Working remotely—it’s the dream.

Or is it?

Although working virtually eliminates can eliminate an arduous commute and the need for expensive clothing, plenty of people struggle when working outside of a traditional office environment. When it comes down to getting the work done, they lack the skills necessary to make a remote work environment suit their needs.

In a recent webinar, Mary Kay Scully, director of customer education at Genworth, provided tips for both remote employees and managers to be effective and remain valued, regardless of whether or not they’re in the office.

Scully said that the hardest part of the day for many remote workers is starting the work day. Whether a morning routine involves getting up, getting ready, and going to a shared work space, for example, or getting up, taking kids to school, getting coffee and then sitting down to work, it needs to be consistent, including the time when work starts every day.

“Make that very, very distinct choice. . . ‘this is where I go from my home mode to my work mode,’” Scully said. “Set yourself a schedule, set an alarm and start work at the same time—whenever your company thinks that you’re on the clock.”

It sounds silly, but getting dressed in a somewhat professional and presentable manner goes a long way to getting the day started. Staying in pajamas and treating being home as ‘down time’ can have a big effect on productivity and preparedness for something like a video call. Obviously remote workers don’t need to wear a suit and/or heels, Scully said, but being presentable will also spark confidence.

While a remote work day might not exactly mirror a day in the office, one similarity is that people generally don’t work straight through the day without any breaks. Whether it’s checking in with a partner, a casual chat with a colleague, or glancing at personal email, breaks happen. The important thing is to schedule breaks and stick to them. This keeps those little things from being a distraction and makes them part of the to-do list.

That to-do list, Scully said, is the key to getting anything done. She calls it an action plan, and whether it’s managed with a pen and paper, on a white board, or on an excel spreadsheet, completing items is worth a little pat on the back. Scully also added that going in priority order isn’t always the best way to go. Sometimes it works best to make the most difficult task the first on the list.

“If you do the worst first, you’re then free . . . once you actually complete it, it really does make a difference. You literally feel as if a boulder was lifted off your back,” she said.

Working at home is a bit harder than working in a shared space or anywhere outside of the house because there are other things that need to be done and are competing for attention. In order to prevent being lured by the piles of dishes in the sink or the weeds in the yard, make sure that there is a defied workspace that has everything necessary to complete the aforementioned action items. Eliminate the need to do upstairs to the printer or to go into the kitchen for a notepad and an extra pen. Have everything within a small area and, if possible, make that area away from the living spaces or other shared spaces. If at all possible, work in a place that has a door that can be closed, and make sure that everyone necessary knows that work hours are set working hours, regardless of working remotely.

Employees also need to take extra care when it comes to client information. When setting up a space, Scully says to pay attention to the people who have access to that space, whether computers or filing cabinets can be locked, and other compliance issues that may not be an individual issue when working in an office.

Another dynamic when managing remote work is feeling connected to others team members or colleagues. One way to prevent that is to have regular check-ins between team members. Those calls can be project-related, or they can even replace that casual chatter that happens in a shared workspace. Scully even says little things like having a photo in an email signature or on a profile of a chat program provides visibility to others. If there are meetings or other work events scheduled, remote or in person, attending can make workers feel less isolated, and managers can reinforce the message that they’re available if needed.

When working remotely, nobody will be there to question time management or personal choices when managing daily tasks. Therefore, it’s even more important to be disciplined and take charge of those working hours. Don’t treat it casually; in all communications, remote workers should remember that they’re still a company representative. Some people don’t feel as motivated when working remotely, and Scully says that it’s worth thinking about internal versus external motivations. Feeling motivated is a personal thing, and the same things that work to inspire someone will only spark resentment in another.

“That’s something only you can change,” she said. “The only person that can actually motivate you is you.”