There are many organisations these days that offer their employees the chance to work from home on a regular basis. Plenty of people have used this opportunity to explore new options for their lifestyles. Not only can it reduce the number of hours we commute in a week (and the costs associated with that), but you can spend more quality time at home.
If you’re not sure about whether you can still be a productive and effective member of your team while working remotely, then make sure you can build up certain abilities. If you want to make changes to your life, or you want to be the best you can if you’re already working from home, then here’s some of the skills you’ll require.
Good Communication
These skills are a necessity for at-home workers, and are useful no matter your work environment. It’s critical for you to express what you want both succinctly and clearly, and that’s because most of your communication will be done either by email or phone. It can be easy to express frustration when you’re speaking to someone in the office, for example, but less so over email without being misunderstood. This is because there’s a lack of non-verbal cues with communicating virtually.
Resourcefulness
You’ll find that there will be many times when you’ll have to resolve an issue without the support of your colleagues. If you can identify the root of a problem on your own, are a critical thinker or have great research skills: then you have some of the important attributes required to work independently. You can even use your research skills to find more tips on how to work from home effectively.
Self-Organisation
Working from home can put a great pressure on you. So it’s critical that you create your own simple system to help you with managing tasks and deadlines. You should have a daily planner so you can manage your time effectively, or use a goal worksheet to help with your aims and outcomes.
Self-Motivation
As you’ll be in an environment on your own with no face-to-face contact with colleagues, it can be a challenge for some people to stay excited about their work when they’re at home. You’ll need a good level of self-motivation to make sure you’re productive, which can be helped by working in an area you’re interested in.
Networking
You don’t have to be confined to your room just because you work from home. Networking sites for professionals are becoming essential, with sites such as LinkedIn helping you to connect with others within your industry.
Be Good with Time
Make sure you have a specific time that you work every day, and stay with that. That’s because it can be a bit confusing for people to know the difference between home and work when they’re both the same.So, make sure you can create a workday that can help with your productivity. Don’t worry if you don’t do 9am to 5pm: the main thing is to have a certain period in which you do only work.
