Tips All Home Workers Need To Read

It can be hard to stay on task when working in your own environment…
There’s little doubt or disagreement about the fact that in the digital era, remote working and work-from-home setups are both on the rise and becoming increasingly accepted. This is due to a number of factors, from the ease of communicating over distance thanks to new technology, new ideas about work life balance, and the fact that an increasing number of people are earning a living via freelance contracts, a phenomenon dubbed the “gig economy”.
In fact, by the year 2020, according to software company Intuit, 40 percent of the workforce will consist of freelancers and independent contractors. It simply doesn’t make sense for those workers to all commute into an office every day if they don’t have to. This uptick in remote working has also spurred growth in the numbers of “co-working” spaces available in cities, especially those with a prominent tech culture. Websites like WorkFrom and WeWork provide either directories or spaces where a freelancer, entrepreneur or remote worker can tap into the energy of working around other people without actually going to the same office every day.
This has benefits for both employers and employees. From the employer’s perspective, they have lower overhead costs in terms of office space and supplies, and can arguably yield more productivity from an employee who doesn’t have to spend a large chunk of their workday commuting. From the worker’s perspective, they have more flexibility in how they structure their work day, they can avoid the stress and monotony of the daily commute, and boost their creativity by changing up their workspace when necessary.
Of course, there are some potential pitfalls as well. Accountability and connectivity can become issues if the worker is given too much leeway or simply doesn’t possess the kind of work ethic that provides the level of self discipline necessary to work without any oversight. However, there are steps that both employers and employees can take to ensure that the remote working economy ends up being a win-win for both, instead of just a drain on productivity and efficiency.
For a worker:
Set boundaries where you work: It may sound like not having to get out of bed in order to go to work would be a dream come true, but in actuality it’s a recipe for disaster. Workers should resist the temptation to blur the lines between workspace and living space, even if that means leaving the house to work in a local library, café or co-working space. That doesn’t mean you can’t work in your home, it just means that sitting down at a desk versus upright in your bed is likely to be a much more productive space in the long term.
Keep track of your hours: While being a remote worker means you can get up at 5 am to work or stay up until 2am, that kind of freedom can be a slippery slope to either working all the time or overestimating the amount of work you’re actually putting in. If your hours are irregular and not a 9 to 5 chunk, that’s fine, just make sure you’re tracking the actual work you’re doing.
For employers:
Set a regular check-in: Whether you’re working with a remote worker who is on staff or who is an independent contractor, set aside time regularly to have a check in about work and progress. This can be carried out over a phone/video conference or, better yet, face to face, but the main thing is that it’s not done over email or chat. It’s also beneficial once in a while to talk things through and address issues or concerns that may be getting buried or lost in emails and chat threads.
Set clear expectations: If you have expectations of your remote worker, clearly articulate them. If you expect them to be present for core hours, a daily conference call, or to be online for extended hours certain days of the week, write those expectations down so that both parties are clearly informed about what the these are.
Find out our 5 essential apps for the proverbial digital nomad on this blog post.