The ways in which we can communicate with each other are now more far-reaching, accessible and amenable than ever before. As well as having a positive impact on parts of our personal life, these advancements have also enabled a great change in the way we work. Access to emails and log-on facilities at home means working remotely is now feasible. Of course, there are many positives to being able to do this. Convenience is the main positive, as well as the fact that you can make your working day work for you. However, there are qualities you still have to possess if you or your company decide to take this route.
Commitment
This phrase goes hand in hand with any position of responsibility. Being committed to a working role is essential, but it is even more pivotal if you are working remotely. Working at home allows for many more distractions that wouldn’t normally be present. You are not surrounded by colleagues, and your home is naturally not a ‘work’ environment. Instead, it is the place where you rest, relax, eat, drink, watch television, and spend time with your family. Your home then needs to become an environment in which you work diligently, without becoming distracted or going ‘off-task.’ Focusing on the end goal and having strong self-control is essential, and it is especially the case if others are at home. Suddenly that coffee break becomes an extra five minutes and being able to reply to that text message is instantly more tempting.
Key Traits
Naturally, working remotely involves less or no interaction day to day with colleagues or fellow workers, and being comfortable with this is essential. Enjoying your own company, and focusing on the task at hand is one of the key traits of a person who can work well at home. When discussing key traits which any remote worker should exhibit, it’s important to take into consideration that, according to Sage’s research, there are five main personality types to ensure you’ll gain success in your career, whether you’re staying at home to work or you’re heading into the office daily. These include ‘The Inventor,’ who loves to challenge authority and will play devil’s advocate in any meeting, and ‘The CEO,’ who are the rarest personality type among women and will stay calm and focused with faced with a stressful obstacle. Check and discover which best fits yourself when thinking about becoming a stay-at-home employee. You may find that the ‘The Supervisor’ type suits you best. This type is categorized by being best at performing mental tasks and being able to take charge and create order and structure. However, the personality type ‘The Mastermind’ is one which is most suited to working alone. ‘The Mastermind’ is the most independent and one which relishes any challenge.
Organization
When you are at work, you have a naturally more work-related mindset. You are ‘on-task,’ surrounded by others who are also working. The way you access files on your computer or documents within the office is an easy task. When you work from home, there is a lot of organization involved. There are smaller things to think about, for instance, will you be required to have your laptop plugged into a reliable power source constantly? Is your internet connection working properly? If you need access to a printer, is this in good working order, with enough paper? A little more thought and preparation is needed for being a stay at home worker. However, once you have cracked that, comes the reward of working in your comfort zone.
Flexibility
For many, the nine to five is not something that exists anymore. Showing you are willing to be flexible is never a bad thing. Offering to take on that extra job, or do an extra hour or so, is one of the positives of working remotely. You are not constricted to set hours, and if you need to give a project your all and work for a while longer occasionally, you are in the most comfortable position to do so. Being happy with working overtime, and accepting this positively, is another great treat for somebody who works at home.