In the years since the Covid-19 Pandemic, working remotely has gained popularity. And since then, great improvements have been made in the interest of remote employees and the support they’re offered as they work outside of the traditional office. However, while there are great benefits, there are also challenges that are difficult to avoid when it comes to remote work.
As someone who spent nearly half of high school online, as well as an intern who’s been fully remote with Your Clear Next Step for the past six months, I’ve learned what it looks like to work from home. At Your Clear Next Step, we have a rather geographically diverse team as a number of our employees are also remote. So, I’d like to share some of the benefits, challenges, and how we can overcome those challenges and best support our remote employees.
The Benefits
Not everyone enjoys working remotely, and that’s okay! But by offering remote work opportunities where possible, the hope is that all employees have access to the work environments that work best for them, whether they prefer working from home or are in need of a little more flexibility.
However you feel about remote work, here are some of the great advantages and benefits I’ve discovered during my time online:
Remote work builds independence: When working remotely, your kids might be home for the summer or you might spend the day with your cat, but other than a few virtual meetings with your team, you’re generally working alone. While this can be daunting, it’s also a great way to build independence as you work, and grow in your own confidence and competence.
Remote work ensures you’re a problem solver: While emails and group messaging chats are great for asking quick questions, there are a lot of times when problem solving in the moment is essential. When you work remotely, you never know what problem you might run into, and while it’s important to ask for help, problem solving also proves that you’re someone who gets things done, even when problems arise.
Remote work grows time management skills: We all have deadlines. We all have projects that need to be done by a certain time. We all have set meetings and scheduled training sessions. But not many of us like having someone over our shoulder to constantly push for those projects or remind us of a deadline. While this is often true when working in the office, responsible time management is especially important when working remotely. You have to be responsible for your time, prioritize your tasks, and schedule yourself and your projects accordingly.
Remote work pushes individuality: As someone who works hard and generally ahead of schedule, I like to go at my own pace. I’m easily bored, so I don’t like to wait around for the next project, and a self-starter attitude like this is what allows me to grow my individuality and inspires my personal growth. When I started with Your Clear Next Step, I never thought I’d leave with so much writing experience, having written on all kinds of blog topics that pushed me out of my comfort zones and encouraged me to think creatively.
Remote work offers flexibility: I love to travel and have big travel plans in the future, so, I’m expecting to find more remote work down the line, especially with the flexibility it allows me. When I’m sitting in a car for an extended period, I can work. When I’m in a different state, I can work. If I need to finish a project over the weekend, I can work. Even if I just want to change up the scenery and work from a coffee shop instead of my kitchen table, I can. While not all positions may be as flexible, remote work often offers the chance to work from wherever and whenever.
The Challenges
Not everyone finds that working from home is the best option for them. In high school when my classmates and I were forced to go online due to Covid, I found it easy to make the switch to online school, because it meant I could go at my own pace and take advantage of my learning. For others, they found online school to be more difficult as it was challenging for them to stay focused and motivated, or to learn in general.
If you’re someone who’s been working remotely for a long time, you may find that you’ve had similar experiences or faced similar challenges. If you’re someone who’s considering making the switch to remote work, these challenges are not meant to scare you off, but to support you as you make your transition.
Remote work can feel isolating and distant: Whether it’s intentional or not, it can be easy to overlook remote employees. There is simply a distance gap that is difficult to change, which can make long days feel longer and make work feel isolating. Without the closeness of an office where you can talk with co-workers in the hallway or attend in-person meetings, it might feel like there is always some kind of disconnect. That’s why weekly meetings with a supervisor or in-person parties and hangouts, are so important and ensure that even through the distance, your remote employees are not forgotten about.
Remote work can feel stagnant: There have been times when I’ve wondered, “is my work actually meaningful?” For interns especially, there’s a tendency for work to turn into “busy work”, which can be frustrating. In my own experience at Your Clear Next Step however, I’ve always felt like I had value to bring to the table. I’ve been creating uplifting and inspiring social media posts, writing encouraging blogs, and creating content that helps get important information out, all so people can have an even better day. I know those things are valuable, and I know I’m an important member of this team.
This might not be the case for everyone however. If you’re feeling like your work isn’t important, let me remind you that every member of a team has an important role. I can’t do your job in the precise way that you can. I don’t have the same real-world or workplace experiences that you do, and I don’t think, inspire, and motivate like you do. The work you do is important and you’re a valued member of your team.
Remote work can be tedious: How you feel about remote work might be impacted by how much of your time is spent working remotely. At Your Clear Next Step, I only work for about 2 hours a day, and as someone who likes to be up and moving around or doing things, I would find a full-time remote job to be rather difficult, while others may enjoy the longer hours.
With these benefits and challenges in mind, I hope they provide you with a fuller picture of what remote work looks like. If you’re a remote employee, I encourage you to lean in for some helpful tips, and if you’re a leader with remote team members, lean in for some ways to support and encourage them, even from a distance.
Tips for Remote Employees:
Get to know people: Whether you’re just starting or have been working remotely for a while, take the time to get to know the people you work with. When we build connections, those connections turn into support systems of people we know we can turn to when we have a question or just need some help. It’s also just nice to have people you can check in with, who you know will always have your back.
Stay organized: With so many deadlines, meetings, and projects to keep track of, staying organized and on top of things is essential. I suggest a planner, an online calendar, or a spreadsheet – some kind of schedule that will help you stay one step ahead.
For my internship, I created a spreadsheet with two columns. On the left, I listed out every week and what needed to be done generally for that week. On the right, I placed those meetings, projects, and deadlines into their respective days so I knew what I needed to do every day, when I needed to have it done, and I had a plan to accomplish my tasks.
Remove distractions from your space: Believe me, I get it. I can be easily distracted like many of us, so I know how important it is to remove anything that might get me off task. Try removing things from your desk and computer screen, find a quiet place to work, and put away things like your phone when they threaten to be more distracting than helpful.
Take breaks: I find it difficult to stare at my screen or focus on one task for a long period of time, so I like to split up my work and take quick breaks to walk around. This ensures that I’m not only writing for 2 hours straight, and it also helps to avoid burnout. Find ways to split up your daily tasks, and don’t be afraid to take a break when you need it!
Tips for Leaders Supporting Remote Employees:
Offer options: It can be scary to go into a position knowing you have certain needs that may not be accommodated, so it’s powerful to make sure your employees know from day one, that where possible, they have options. This could look like offering the option to be fully in the office, fully remote, or a hybrid combination of both. This ensures that everyone has something that best suits their personal needs.
Reach out often: Since remote work can often feel isolating, be intentional to reach out and connect with your remote employees. Even if it’s just a quick chat, or a monthly check in, it will mean the world to employees who might otherwise feel forgotten about.
Use the languages of appreciation: Not everyone experiences appreciation in the same way, and it’s powerful to recognize how your employees feel most appreciated. It shows you care about your team and have their well-being in mind. It shows that you’ve taken the time to listen to them, and want to support them. While you can’t give your remote employees a physical high-five, it’s important to show that you appreciate them too, however that might look.
When we invest time in our fellow team members to show we see them, we support them, and we appreciate them, it goes a long way. Especially when there’s distance between us! It’s my encouragement to us all that we take the time to reach out and get to know people, whether in the office or out, to build authentic relationships, and to have each other's backs.
You might enjoy working remotely, or you might not. And if you don’t do it yourself, the chances are you probably know someone who does work remotely. There are both benefits and challenges that are different from those faced in the office. When we take the time to get to know both our in-office and out-of-office employees, we can learn how to best support all of our employees and build authentic human connections, which is a core tenant of the Change Makers Certification Program! If you’re interested in more information or have any questions, visit our resource page and don’t hesitate to reach out!
