Career coaches’ advice on working remotely
Working remotely is convenient and awesome if your boss allows you to do it, and The New York Post has a feature with some remote employees who shared their tips on how to deal with questioning employers, technological barriers and more.
Some tips in general:
1) Clear everything with your boss, including when, where and why you’ll work remotely and how you’ll stay in touch when you do.
2) Make sure your Internet connections are stable, sound and speedy (which for me may mean setting Comcast offices on fire and switching to Fios).
3) Try to get face time in when you can in the flesh, which is stronger than, well, FaceTime in making an impression and reminding your boss that you are a person as well as a person behind a keyboard.
Deborah Brown-Volkman, Career Coach
“We live in such a global society, where it’s assumed that people are accessible 24/7, that it’s not such a drastic thing to be miles away from your boss or clients. Plus, there’s been a cultural and generational shift in the office environment in the past decade. Whereas baby boomers may have been wary about not having face time with employees, Generation X-ers and millennial managers are much more comfortable communicating remotely.”
Maggie Mistal, Career Coach
“The fact is, you’re going to have a lot of things pulling on your attention, especially if you’re traveling or settling in a gorgeous part of the world, and you have to know how to put on blinders when you need to do work. For me, I know when I pull my computer out, it’s time to work … Developing a ritual to let you know it’s your ‘office time’ is really helpful, especially when you don’t have any nearby co-workers who you can take cues from.”
Chuck Ros, Globe-trotting HR Whiz
“Making an investment in a communications strategy is key. I spent months before we left [to travel and work remotely] researching and testing virtual private network services, WebEx, Join.Me and others. And have a few backup plans, too. What if you have a key client meeting, and the Wi-Fi is out?”
Melissa Erb, Account Executive
“I typed up a two-page plan explaining how I saw my relocation working. When I scheduled a meeting with my boss, [I] explained I knew he was taking a risk, and that we have regular check-ins after my move to make sure all expectations were being met or exceeded.”
By: Jessica Sager
