How to Ace Working From Home

If you want to be a valuable worker and team asset in a remote environment, you need to ace remote work. But how do you go about doing that?

There is a lot of debate about whether remote work is here to stay. At Meytier, we think it is. A recent report from Ladders predicts that 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022. The cost savings on office space for start-ups and smaller and medium sized companies presents a real opportunity for employers to invest in hiring. The benefits of remote work for employees are also considerable and the demand for this type of work environment is not likely to fade.

As a first-time mom going back to work, I knew I wanted to switch to a remote job to be able to be close to my little one and continue breastfeeding. This is something that was important to me and I was not willing to give up. Like many new parents, taking a break from working was not a financial option, so I picked the next best thing: working from home. I was also not willing to give up on the momentum I had built after working for 10 years. I am a sociable person and never thought I would enjoy remote work, let alone seek out a job where I would work from home. When the Coronavirus pandemic brought most in-person work to a halt without much notice or any training, we all did our best to survive and adapt to this remote working environment. Many frustrations and attitude adjustments later, you may have embraced the beauty of working from home like I did.

There are plenty of reasons you may want the flexibility that a remote job brings. After spending a lot of time looking for a remote job, preparing for interviews and being likable on camera, you hopefully get an offer and then the real work begins. Now how do you ace working from home? 

Here are a couple of things I have learned in 2+ years of remote work: 

1. Be proactive! Reach out to colleagues and your supervisor with drafts of your work and questions on what direction to take things in. 
2. Do not be afraid to get going! Just start working on things, without waiting to be explicitly asked to. 
3. Don’t be shy! Turn on your camera and smile. Make sure people know you are there and treat every meeting as an opportunity to share more of yourself and your personality. Do not forget to dress professionally and appropriately for every meeting. 
4. Show interest in getting to know your colleagues. If you are friendly and open, others will be too. Let your colleagues know what is going on in your life and when you may need support from them. 
5. Be reachable! This may seem like an obvious one, but make sure you are connected through all the communication channels your company uses. Download the apps on your phone, to make sure you can always access information and answer questions on the go. 
6. Get comfortable with technology! Technology is your friend and what enables you to stay connected with your team. Make sure you become a proficient user. 
7. Plan ahead and check-in with your supervisor and let them know what you are working on. Ask for daily/weekly check-ins to make sure you are on track for important projects and have the guidance you need. 
8. Show up for in-person team bonding activities if you can.

Get Feedback! It is important to ask for feedback on how you are doing and what you could do better. Do not wait for a yearly performance review. This will give you the confidence to know you are doing a good job and the ability to course-correct if necessary.