7 Best Practices For Working Remotely

Working remotely may seem like a comforting idea, but it has its downside as well. Without proper attention to all aspects of remote work, you may end up sacrificing your personal as well as work life.

This article sheds light on some of the ideal practices to follow for remote work to win at everything in life.

Maintain A Work-Life Balance

Having clearly defined boundaries between work and personal life will give you clearance on a lot of aspects of remote work. It is advisable to keep your work and personal commitments separate.

This way, you will not have to cut down on your working hours to attend to unique demands not related to work or vice versa. Also, it is common for remote employees to merge their work and regular life.

When this happens, it can feel like you are working throughout the day every day. Separating your work life from your regular life is important to unplug yourself and prevent a lot of health issues as well, including your mental health.

Figure Out Your Productivity

Working from home can be hard, especially if you don't have a work routine figured out for yourself. While you may think that you can deliver work from morning till evening sitting in the comfort of your home, things are different in reality.

Without regular breaks and an adequate set-up office environment, you may find yourself being very unproductive.

Furthermore, different individuals have different times when they feel most productive and can get major chunks of their work done. You should figure out the best times and the best routine that works for you to be able to effectively work from home.

Ensure Good Meeting Decorum

It is easier to attend in-person meetings for both the employee and the employer. Having a physical meeting where everyone is present in the same room is easy to carry out because all participants can be observed very closely.

However, remote meetings are a whole different story. The attendants of the meeting might not be tuned in to the proceedings of the meeting, and there is no way that they can be called out.

For this purpose, make sure to always turn on your camera for any meetings that you are scheduled to attend. You will be more attentive this way and pick out important details throughout the meeting.

Also, make it a habit to dress up for your meetings, even if they are remote. This will help you feel more like you are a part of the physical meeting and may also help you be more prepared for it. Taking down notes and reading the meeting agenda and action points before the meeting starts is also a good practice.

Perform In-Depth Analysis Of Major Projects

Since it is not possible to have office conversations over a lunch break about different projects for remote employees, holding a meeting solely for project analysis is a great idea.

Monthly meetings for in-depth scrutiny can be very helpful in guiding you for similar upcoming projects. Points of discussion in these meetings can range from the objective of the initiative that was taken to the outcomes of the project and what can be done in the future to get even better results next time.

This can serve as a self-analysis for you as well and make room for a lot of self-improvement too.

Practice Good Networking

Try to make a personal connection with all of your team members. This can largely improve your communication and impact your work ethic positively. Being in the loop with your team members will help you feel more included and more productive at work as well.

Different methods can be employed to get to know each other. For example, dedicated meetings held as ice breakers for the team, introduction sessions for whenever a new team member joins, or getting to know one another over an office lunch or dinner is a good idea too.

Define Clear Cut Responsibilities

Mapping out clearly defined responsibilities is crucial for you as a remote employee. It will save you a lot of time and effort if you and everyone else on the team are aware of what they have to do.

Verbally communicating responsibilities to the team might not be enough and can lead to a lot of unnecessary confusion. Documenting what each person is responsible for is the right way to move forward when you are working from home.

Through this method, everyone, including you, will get a clear idea of what is to be done along with the deadline.

Emphasize On Communication

The biggest challenge of working from home is perhaps lack of communication. Most remote employees and virtual teams face this challenge daily. Communication is key to the successful completion of teamwork, and therefore it is paramount that you ace your remote communication skills.

Premeditated and purposeful communication should be your goal when you are working as a remote employee. You may have to change the way you communicate in person.

For remote communication to be successful, make sure you are precise and clear so that you are understood by everyone, and there are no misunderstandings. Documentation is key to clear communication and can help you reach your team in a much more effective way.

Conclusion

Working from home can be a choice for some and an obligation for other employees. Whatever might be the case, remote work does have a set of pros and cons.

To deal with them appropriately and timely is what will ensure your success as a remote employee.

By putting these best practices to use, you can make your way up in your remote career.