Barry David Moore — November 4, 2019 Working from home may seem strange at first. So many people have told me “oooh I could never work from home, I would miss the social contact”. But when you try it, you will realize that it is completely awesome and liberating. The trend in remote working is undeniable and currently, 40% of American employees have said they have worked remotely according to GreatWorkLife.
But it will only be great if you do it the right way. So here are three tips to help you ensure you do a great job from day one.
Goumbik / Pixabay
1. Be Crystal Clear On Goals
When working from home it is even more important to be crystal clear on your goals. Many low-grade managers typically want to micro-manage their staff and dish out small tasks one by one. When you are remote to your manager the only way of working is to understand your goals clearly.
- Know the outcome: Increased sales, better customer satisfaction rating, new products developed.
- Measure the outcome: 10% increase in sales, 2-point shift on customer satisfaction, 3 new products developed
- Know the timeline: 10% increase in sales in 6 months, 2 points on customer satisfaction in 12 months, 1 new product every 3 months.
Now that you are clear on your goals you need to keep your boss and team updated on the goals. If you feel you need support to achieve the goals, ask for support, from your manager or even your team.
2. Deliver On Your Goals
If you are going to be trusted to work from home and even be considered for promotions and career development, you have to be clear on your goals and deliver those outcomes.
In my experience of Silicon Valley corporations, you are only able to work from home if you are senior enough, professional enough and deliver on your targets. Most corporations do not care whether you work from home or in the office. If you are the one that delivers results you can literally work where the hell you like.
And if you deliver the results, you are usually going places.
3. Deliver On Your Goals The Right Way
It is not enough to simply deliver on your goals. If you hit your targets and are disrespectful, inconsiderate or in any way intolerant of others, this will damage your career.
- You need to be patient and consider other people’s viewpoints and situations.
- Never ever cross the line by being too intimate, personal or discriminating in any way
- Never be rude
- Never ever, ever RAISE YOUR VOICE
4. Build Trust With Your Manager & Team
If you are the type of person that starts fires rather than helps put them out, you will have problems. Ultimately, all but the most egotistical of people want to have a good working environment where everyone gets along.
Build a good relationship with your manager by being the “safe pair of hands”. That means you are the one that does not drop the ball on an important task or deliverable. If you communicate enough with your manager, you will understand the state of the business and also understand their goals.
Additionally, with any good working relationship, you will understand how they tick, meaning how they operate and like to do business. The more in-tune you are with your boss the more you will be empowered to make important decisions without consulting them. You build trust by ensuring that when an important decision needs to be made and you are not 100% sure of the right decision, then you call your boss and discuss it to clarify the point. Don’t just ask what to do, simply state the problem and what decision you think is the right one, if they agree or tweak it a little you build a bond of a trusted team member.
Final Words
Working from home is the future, we just have not realized it yet. Less traffic, less pollution, lower costs, and lower carbon footprint are things the world desperately needs right now. If you are looking for more tips on being a successful remote worker, see our in-depth article 39 Golden Rules for Telecommuting Success
Business & Finance Articles on Business 2 Community
(27)
