How to Show You’re Not Slacking When You Work from Home
As a telecommuter, you know that you’re working just as hard (or even harder) than your in-office colleagues. But you just get the feeling that your office mates think you’re home relaxing in your bed and watching Real Housewives marathons every day instead of getting your work done. Here’s how to show you’re not slacking when you work from home—once and for all.
Keep your productivity up.
Studies show that remote workers are often far more productive than office workers. So the easiest way to quell any criticisms about your work productivity is to make sure that you are, indeed, getting your work done. That means meeting all of your deadlines and handing in assignments on time (and completely). Your colleagues can’t complain about you dropping the ball on a group assignment if you’re staying on top of your workload.
Be available.
A huge benefit of flexible work is the ability to work whenever you want, wherever you want. But just because you can work at any time you please (say, at 2:00 a.m.) doesn’t mean that you always should. When possible, try to keep the same hours as your office mates. That way, if they have an urgent question, you’re right there, ready to answer it.
Communicate often.
Your boss emailed you an assignment, but after reading it a few times, you still don’t understand exactly what he wants. Having a flexible job means that you need to have superior communication skills, whether it’s to update your boss on a project you’ve been working on, or to simply ask for clarification on a certain assignment. Your constant communication shows a boss how engaged you are in your job.
Stay social.
When you work from home, it’s easy to feel like you’re in a bubble, causing you to lose your connection with your colleagues. While you don’t have to be remote office besties, it’s still a good idea to maintain some type of communication with them that goes beyond projects and presentations. If your company offers a means to stay social with your coworkers (through sites such as Yammer, for example) take advantage and reach out to your colleagues. Being friendly and asking how a coworker’s weekend was can do a lot to foster positive relations. It also gives you an opportunity to talk about that project you’ve been working on, too, which can help reinforce the fact that you are truly working when you’re working from your home office.
As work flexibility continues to grow in popularity and becomes a more accepted way of working, both bosses and colleagues alike will become more accepting of remote workers and view them for who they truly are: efficient, productive employees
This post was written by Jennifer Parris, career writer at FlexJobs, the award-winning site for telecommuting and flexible job listings. FlexJobs lists thousands of pre-screened, legitimate, and professional-level work-from-home jobs and other types of flexibility like part-time positions, freelancing, and flexible schedules. Jennifer provides career and job search advice through the FlexJobs Blog and social media. Learn more at www.FlexJobs.com.
