8 Things That Might Surprise You as a First-Time Remote Worker

Congratulations! You’ve landed your first remote job. Working remotely can be exciting/exhilarating/scary all at the same time, but it is incredibly rewarding on so many levels.

As you prepare for the big day, keep in mind these eight things that might surprise you as a first-time remote worker:

1. You’ll realize how much time you probably wasted commuting.

It can be frustrating to wake up in the morning, eager to start the day—only to get stuck in traffic for two hours on your commute into work. Once you start working remotely, though, all that changes. No longer are you reliant upon trains, buses, or any other mechanical mode of transport to get you to work on time.

As a first-time remote worker, you get to call the shots when you start your workday. So that means if you decide to begin work right after you wake up, you can do so.

2. Your productivity may greatly improve.

Long meetings. Noisy coworkers. Fire drills. There is a never-ending litany of things that can distract you when you work in a traditional office. But all of that will fall by the wayside once you become a remote worker.

For the most part, you’ll be able to direct your day as need be, which means that you can focus on tackling your work and spend less time getting sucked up in petty office drama. And without even realizing it, your productivity will soar as you get to actually, well, work.

3. You have to be able to self-manage.

Raise your hand if you ever showed up to work in the past and just social media surfed your way through the day. Well, that can happen when you work remotely, too. In fact, you could be more susceptible to having social media surf fests, especially since you don’t have a boss breezing past your cubicle or a catty coworker who might sell you out.

That’s why you need to be a strict self-manager as a first-time remote worker. When you’re sitting at your desk, you have to mentally pretend that you’re in an actual office, and not in your home office. That means no radio or TV blasting and eliminate any other distractions that could impede you from getting your work done.

4. You might miss face-to-face interaction with coworkers.

Even the most introverted of individuals might find that they miss the familiarity of walking into an office where everybody knows their name. The good thing is that if you find that you’re a little lonely in your first few days or weeks of working remotely, there are ways to overcome it. For starters, having an active social life outside of your remote job (like hanging out with friends or family) can help ease those feelings of isolation that can occur. Also, making sure that you have ties not only to your work, but to your coworkers, boss, and the company as a whole can help you feel connected—and not alone.

5. You’ll probably have better work-life balance.

You’ve heard talk of this thing called work-life balance, but haven’t really gotten to experience it….until now, that is. While some remote jobs do have a set schedule (much like the 9-to-5 you’ve probably had before), the major difference is that now you don’t have a commute that’s going to take up precious time. And since you’re working remotely, you’ll have more wiggle room on your lunch hour or other breaks to take care of personal tasks that need to be done.

But if your remote job gives you total flexibility over your schedule, that’s when you get to really experience what work-life balance is all about!

6. You can have a great relationship with remote colleagues.

If you thought that the only way to establish bonds with your coworkers was to be smushed together in the same office, think again. Remote workers can actually forge strong bonds, despite the distance between them.

While it does take some extra effort on everyone’s part, seeking out ways to connect with each other can make a big difference and allow you to establish a solid rapport with your fellow remote colleagues.

7. You’re going to have to proactively communicate.

When you’re in an office, sometimes all you need to do is smile and wink at a coworker (or in some cases, roll your eyes) to get your message across. But in a remote work environment, you’ll have to communicate frequently and clearly in order to be heard and “seen.” If you don’t, it can negatively affect your entire team, and possibly cause friction between you and your coworkers.

So take the time to communicate with your teammates, whether it’s answering emails promptly, jumping on a call to clarify an issue, or even just sending silly memes. Doing so will keep the lines of communication open, which is ultra important when you telecommute.

8. You may need to be your own IT person.

By and large, working remotely requires being tech savvy. That means knowing how to troubleshoot any tech issues that might arise, from super slow Internet to programs not working, or even a shaky Skype connection. You might be used to shooting an email to IT to help come fix your computer, but now you’re the one who’s IT and has to fix the issue.

So in the days before you start working remotely, test all of your settings to make sure that they’re functioning properly. That way, you’ll be on your way to having a smooth transition to remote work.

Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com

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By Jennifer Parris | Categories: Work Remotely

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