Being A Remote Worker Isn’t All Fun And Games

To be clear, being a remote worker can be wonderful, but also has its drawbacks. Learning how to overcome the drawbacks of being located in a remote office will make your job easier.

Remote Worker: Out of sight, out of mind

When the company is looking for someone for that great new project, sometimes those not seen can unfortunately be forgotten. Try to expand the reach of your remote office, so you aren’t just that unknown remote worker. Join in all the meetings you can by conference call, or better yet videoconference whenever available.

No conversations around the water cooler

You have coworkers, and you speak to them over the phone or instant message, but when you just want to take a break to recharge or get the latest information on what’s going on, you may end up feeling lost. Try reaching out by instant message for a friendly conversation. You can check in with your coworkers, ask about their families, and other non-work related interests. It helps to get to know each other in any way, to open the lines of communication. If your home becomes an isolation trap, you may want to move into a shared office. A shared office space makes the perfect remote office, because you can share a break room, talk about the big game or get inspiration around the water cooler, coffee machine or copy center, and just see a friendly face once in a while.

Guilt and Fear

If you work from home, you may feel the need to overcome the guilt or fear that everyone thinks you are slacking at home. More often than not, this means you will work more, and even keep working late into the night. This will catch up to you, so you may want to consider moving out of your home and into a remote office, or even a park bench or coffee shop, so you have somewhere to leave at the end of the day.

How do you make your remote office work?