Smart Guide to Working From Home

8. Use your employee benefits

The rise in remote work has caused a shift in some employee benefits, too. Eleven states, as well as Seattle and Washington, D.C., have laws that require employers to reimburse some home office expenses, according to analysis by human resources (HR) platform Paycor.

Be sure you ask your company about any resources, reimbursement or other benefits available to help you be your best working from home. Your company may have benefits ranging from a furniture or technology allowance to internet reimbursement that can help you adapt to working from home more affordably. Dyer says that his older workers struggled with their home office setup because they didn’t ask for help. “They didn't want to cause any waves. They didn't want to be annoying. And so, they wouldn't ask,” he says. If he noticed productivity issues, he would ask questions and often found these workers weren’t optimizing their space.

9. Beware of cybersecurity threats

Working remote potentially can make you a cybersecurity risk, according to 2023 research published in the journal Computers & Security. One survey by networking and cybersecurity company OpenVPN found that nearly three in four (73 percent) information technology executives believe that remote workers pose a greater cybersecurity risk than onsite employees.

Work with your employer to be more aware of cybersecurity risks like phishing emails and malware, as well as how to avoid them. In addition, the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency has created guides for companies and remote workers with actions you can take to make your home computer more secure. These include properly configuring your home Wi-Fi network, using complex passwords and two-factor authentication, and avoiding clicking on suspicious email links or attachments. 

10. Be camera-savvy

Because many of your interactions as a remote worker will be through videoconferencing tech, pay attention to what others are seeing. Consider how your workspace looks on screen, advises Sacha Connor, founder and CEO of Virtual Work Insider, which provides leadership training for remote work environments. “Being on video is really important. To me, it’s a tool of influence,” she says. It’s can also combat distance and "recency bias” that can disadvantage remote workers with the teammates and supervisors.

If you’re uncomfortable being on camera, practice. Think of your home office as a TV studio, Connor suggests. Take note of the lighting, and enhance it if needed. Other tips Connor shares include checking the background in the shot, making sure the audio is clear, and securing a strong, stable internet connection. Set up video calls with your friends or family, get their feedback on what they see onscreen, and adjust while you catch up with them.

MANAGING YOUR WORKDAY

11. Schedule to your strengths

To the extent possible, Wolfe suggests using the flexibility of remote work to plan your tasks according to when you’ll complete them best. For example, if you’re not a morning person, try not to schedule calls in which you’ll need to be alert and chipper at the beginning of your workday. If you tend to lag in the afternoon, use that time to return email messages or do work that doesn’t require your best creativity. He also recommends being mindful of “Zoom fatigue” — the energy it takes to be on camera. If you’re tired of looking at the camera and taking pains to present yourself well there, suggest an audio-only call, which can be less taxing.

12. Mix some movement into your day

When you’re in the office, you’re likely moving around during your commute, or even walking down the hallway to get water or a cup of coffee. At home, it can be all too easy to sit for long periods of time when you’re focused on your work.

“[Think] flexibly about ways that you can incorporate movement,” says Anita Williams Woolley, professor of organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. A standing desk or even an under-desk treadmill can help you avoid the detrimental effects of sitting for too long, she says. Another suggestion: take a walk during phone meetings to get steps in while you work.

13. Set and keep work boundaries

When you work in the space where you live, working too much can become an issue. While just one in 10 people in a 2023 Pew Research Center survey said working from home hurt work-life balance, Dyer finds otherwise. “I actually find that when people work at home, they overwork. They don't have as many distractions, they don't have as many breaks,” he says. That focus can be bad for your health and for productivity.

Dyer recommends scheduling breaks throughout your day on your calendar or using an approach like the Pomodoro Technique, where you schedule work in short, timed intervals with breaks in between. For example, work on a task for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, then repeat.

14. Create a contact map

In 2010, Connor was based in Philadelphia and working remote for The Clorox Company, leading large sales and marketing teams in California. Working from home was unusual at the time, and she says one of her priorities was staying visible to the people who mattered most to her career, including her “known network” — bosses, team members, etc. — as well as others within the corporation. “It's important for career progression. It's important for influencing business decisions and getting progress on your projects,” she says.

She suggests remote workers handle this unknown factor by mapping their “sphere of influence” and their “sphere of exposure,” she says. “Who are the people that they think that they need to have exposure to or influence — up, down, inside, outside the organization,” she says. By intentionally taking time to map out those contacts, you can work toward meeting and developing relationships with people who will be important to your work and your long-term career goals, which may take more work to do remotely.

15. Use messaging to stay visible

Woolley says that savvy employers are adapting to their distributed workforces and are being more inclusive of remote workers. However, she says it’s still important to be intentional about keeping in touch with supervisors and coworkers to ensure you stay informed and visible.

“Circling back periodically, perhaps more often, to give people an update and also confirm the next step is a good idea,” she says. That also gives you more opportunities to get updates and find out if you missed an impromptu conversation that took place in the office. “You're just giving yourself the opportunity to learn that sooner, so you don't waste a bunch of time or go off on a path that is no longer useful,” she adds.

Use your office’s preferred messaging platform to quickly communicate with your colleagues. When you’re at risk of missing a hallway conversation or overhearing something that might be useful for your work, you need to check in and communicate more than you might if you were working onsite, Woolley says. Confirm conversations and meeting agreements or next steps in writing. Give periodic progress reports or updates. This gives people more opportunities to see your effort — and to remember to tell you things you might have missed.

16. Keep your supervisor in the loop

Staying engaged with your supervisor is important as a remote worker, Woolley says. Set up regular meetings, if possible, so you can ensure that you’re getting proper direction and input. Document your achievements and, in general, make it easier for your supervisor to see and measure what you’re doing.

In addition, solicit feedback to determine where you are performing well and where you can incorporate improvements. “Asking the people that are you're working with who might be in a position to make suggestions to you and making it clear that you're open to that and actively soliciting it, is really critical,” she says.

17. Understand communication norms

Another area where remote workers need to be intentional is understanding and adapting to how their teams communicate with each other. Connor says having conversations with your coworkers and reaching agreements can be an important step toward creating shared understanding of how people are going to communicate. These discussions may include deciding which tools are to be used for which types of communication — for example, when to use tools like email, messaging platforms, shared document tools, text or others.

In addition, make sure to define expectations around availability and response times. In other words, when are particular people working and how long should you expect to hear back from them? Messages sent via platforms like Slack or Teams may be meant for quick responses within an hour or so, while email may be reserved for lengthier messages.

18. Make the most of "IRL" opportunities

When you do to go into the office for a visit or an "in real life" meeting, use that time to schedule in-person meetings, meals or other get-togethers with coworkers, supervisors and others with whom you wish to strengthen relationships. “There's nothing still for me — and maybe it's because I'm over 50 — that replaces the in-person. Having a cocktail, having a meal, having coffee with somebody and just having that natural conversation that may start off business-related, and then turns into a son or daughter going off to college or a pet or a parent or whatever the case may be,” Wolfe says. That face-to-face connection can cultivate greater understanding and tolerance that help the team, he adds.

19. Make time for your work BFFs

Working remotely can be isolating, and that’s not good for managing your daily tasks or long-term career goals. Recent Gallup research found that employees who have best friends at work are more likely to be more productive and innovative, and have safer workplaces. The research also showed that having a best friend at work has become even more important for retention and workplace satisfaction.

If you’re feeling lonely or disengaged at work, Dyer suggests creating a core group of people who are essential to what you do and setting up a private group for them on your messaging platform. “When we feel good about our team, we feel good about our company,” he says. Creating a small circle of your core coworkers and work friends can not only make you happier but also may have a positive ripple effect for the company.

20. Form a cheerleading squad

Your work friends can also be important when it comes to speaking up for each other. When working from home, you need to be more intentional about advocating for yourself and ensuring that your team and its leadership know about your achievements and contributions. If you’re shy about tooting your own horn, “get someone else to go and brag for you, and then you can do the same for them,” Dyer suggests. Keeping others informed creates transparency and helps ensure that everyone knows how much you’re doing to help reach goals.

21. Remember your coworkers are people, too

When you’re working from a distance, it’s important to both remember and remind others that you’re all human beings. When you take the time to get to know someone, “there's a tolerance and there's an acceptance,” he says. Reminding yourself that the person with whom you’re working isn’t just a disconnected voice or email message can help foster that understanding, improving working relationships, Wolfe says.

Connor says the simple act of posting a photo of your team at your workstation can help you remember team members whom you need to reach out to or contact.

MANAGING YOUR CAREER

22. Be aware of "out of office, out of mind" biases

To head off issues around the “out of sight, out of mind” aspect of remote work, it’s important to understand two common unconscious biases, Connor says. The first is distance bias, also known as proximity bias, which is the brain’s tendency to put more value on the people and things closer to us. The other is recency bias, which means the brain puts more value on the people and things it has heard from or seen most recently. Together, those biases may work against remote workers, Connor says

23. Be a mentor

Mentoring serves a number of important purposes, ranging from building your network to learning from your protégé, Connor says. She says that experienced workers are needed as mentors, but they may also be more likely to be working remote, at least part-time. That distance doesn’t have to be a problem. “We can mentor from anywhere,” she says.

You may also seek out others to mentor you if you need help with specific learning and development goals, Woolley says. This can also help foster connections, help keep your network diverse and give you opportunities to grow your skills.

24. Seek out skill-building opportunities

Whether you’re working remote or onsite, it’s essential to seek out learning, development and upskilling opportunities, Wolfe says. Options for skills-building can include affordable self-paced online courses, industry conferences and webinars, in addition to programs at community colleges or four-year universities. (One resource: AARP Skills Builder for Work, which offers free and low-cost online courses that are self-paced.) Check with your supervisor and company’s human resources department to learn what internal programs they offer and what external options they recommend, along with any tuition reimbursement benefits.

Completing courses and earning new certifications can help you advance in your career. Just make sure your team and supervisors know about your upskilling efforts and the initiative you’re showing. This also shows that you’re interested in continuing to advance in your career, which may help leaders keep you in mind for promotions or new opportunities.

25. Know your worth

While remote work does require some additional attention to maintain and build relationships, Woolley says it’s important to not look at it as a disadvantage. “Have confidence in the value you bring to these workplaces,” she says. It’s an opportunity to increase flexibility and to take on creative work and endeavors, she adds.

26. Use remote work to your advantage

Remote work also can offer opportunities to maintain a better work-life balance. Pew’s research found that 71 percent of those who work from home between all and some of the time say it helps them manage work and personal obligations more effectively. Dyer finds that remote work is helpful for employees in their 50s and 60s who may also need to juggle doctor appointments, caregiving or other obligations.

Work with your employer to establish the guidelines and expectations of how you manage your time and then use that flexibility to manage what you need to do.