For reasons having to do with adverse serendipity, I’ve never been able to achieve one of my long held employment goals: remote work. For one reason or another, I’ve always ended up working for control freaks who just knew that if they couldn’t see and monitor their workers in real time they were going to goof off. That probably says more about them than those who work for them but it is a reality that can’t be ignored.
Rion Williams has been working remotely for a decade and has some advice. If you’re in a position to work remotely and suffering some anxiety you should definitely take a look at his post. The secret, he says, is balance. But the balance is a two-way street. You must balance your work flow so that you give your employer full value but maintain a separation between your work and non-work life so that you don’t burn out.
But you can’t make remote successful on your own. Your company also has to do things to make it work. Most important, of course, is giving up the micromanagement. Theoretically, that’s actually pretty easy. Companies have to start valuing and rewarding results rather than attendance. In actuality, it can be very hard for companies to make this adjustment and if they can’t, remote work is going to fail.
Given that you and your company have the proper attitude towards remote work, there are still some things to keep in mind. Take a look at Williams’ post to see what he thinks you should do to make it work.
Remote work isn’t for everyone. The smartest person I know went back to the office during the COVID-19 epidemic because he had difficulty knowing when to stop working and was afraid of burning out. He found it easier to leave the office at the end of the day than to stop working at home. But if remote work is for you, Williams’ post is worth reading.