OVERVIEW
Due to the coronavirus, almost everyone who doesn’t work in a
“critical” or “essential” role has been told to work remotely, which in most
cases means to work from home. However, the majority of the population has
never worked remotely, so they’re not sure what skills are needed to
successfully work from home.
This blog will provide you with an overview of the six skills you need
to have (or develop), so that your remote work life is effective, productive
and successful.
THE
NEW REALITY – WORKING REMOTELY DUE TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC
Now that the
coronavirus has made its way around the globe, employees the world over have to
adjust to the new reality of working remotely. While some people may find it easy
to make the switch from working in an office to working remotely, for most
people there may be some level of discomfort.
However, under
the new reality of COVID-19, working remotely is not an option; it has actually
become mandatory for many people. Since that’s the situation that everyone must
now deal with, here are the six key skills you need to have to be able to work
effectively, productively and successfully in a remote environment.
Skill #1: You Must Be Self-Driven,
Self-Motivated and Self-Managed
To successfully
work from home, you must be a self-driven, self-motivated and self-managed
person. This means you don’t need anyone else telling you what to do. You’re
able to get yourself moving and motivated each morning. You don’t need a boss
standing over your shoulder giving you guidance every day. You start the
workday on your own, you review the goals that need to be accomplished each
day, and then you do what needs to be done to complete them.
Working remotely, whether from a home office or elsewhere, can be difficult.
If you’re disorganized, it makes it even more difficult, so to work effectively
you must be organized. Being organized includes things like having a daily
routine and schedule that you follow, setting up your office space to work
efficiently, and establishing necessary boundaries at home so that you’re not
constantly interrupted. In addition, you need to develop a plan (detailed or
high-level, on a daily or weekly basis, whatever works best for you) that
organizes your day, your time and your activities to help optimize the time you
spend at work.
Skill #3: You Must Keep Records
One of the most difficult tasks that all remote workers must deal with is
keeping track of their daily activities through accurate, detailed records. Being
able to show not only what you’ve done, but what you’re working on is critical
to successfully working remotely, as it provides a level of accountability for
both you and your management. It also helps to confirm that you’re actually
being productive, should any questions arise. Your records should include tracking
and recording the various activities you do each day, meetings or conference
calls you attend, action items you receive or delegate, items in process, etc. Detailed
records enable you to have the necessary information at your fingertips any
time you need it.
Skill #4: You Must Use Technology
It wasn’t that
long ago that the only technology remote workers had access to (outside of a
laptop) was email, a cell phone, and maybe IM. However, over the last decade
that has changed significantly. Technology now makes it easy for employees to
work remotely and be as productive as if they were in an office. In addition to
email, IM and cell phones, you now have VOIP phones, secure VPNs, audio/video
conferencing, social media, a wide variety of online collaboration platforms
and technologies, shared drives, virtual workspaces and whiteboards, and many other
tools. By taking advantage of and using these technologies there is no limit to
what you can accomplish. However, if you don’t use them, they don’t work, so in
order to be effective as a remote employee, you must use technology.
Skill #5: You Must Collaborate
One of the most
critical keys to successfully working remotely is collaborating with co-workers,
management, vendors, suppliers, customers and many others. While many people
think that working remotely means that they can work without interruption and
don’t have to attend meetings, the reality is often quite different. To be
effective and productive as a remote employee, you actually have to be more
collaborative and attend more meetings than you did when you worked in an
office. This is because you can’t just walk down the hall or to another office
to talk to a co-worker. Instead, you have to schedule time to work together
with others who also work remotely. As such, you must not only learn to use the
various collaboration tools your business employs, but also all the features of
those tools so that you can collaborate effectively.
Skill #6: You Must Communicate
The most
critical skill that any remote employee must develop and master is frequent and
regular communication. When you work remotely, it’s easy to get into the habit
of not talking to or communicating with other people. Unfortunately, that won’t
work. As almost everyone is working remotely now, regular communication is a
priority that keeps you in touch and in sync with your team, your management,
your customers, etc. Regardless of the form the communication takes (email,
weekly reports, IM sessions, texting, audio and video calls, online
collaboration sessions, etc.)
SUMMARY
As a remote
employee, it’s often difficult for you to stay involved and engaged with your coworkers,
your team, your customers and suppliers. By developing and using these six skills
on a daily basis, you’ll be able to work more effectively, more productively,
and more successfully.
© 2020 –
Richard Hatheway, Catalyst Strategic Marketing
All Rights
Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment