Be Productive with Remote Working… and Let Your Boss Know it Too!

By now we know all the pluses of remote working…. more flexibility, no more traffic jams, in your own space to really focus without pesky colleagues constantly breaking your train of thoughts.

Remote working may suit you best; in fact, you may feel you are even more productive, given your own space to work at your best. The problem with that? It’s not easy to show that you are productive in the home setting; there’s no image of you really doing work at your work desk and some bosses aren’t used to working remotely themselves so they can’t exactly envision what productivity during remote working looks like.

The truth is, it’s up to you to prove to your boss – and your teammates – that you are dedicated, productive and efficient, even if you are working at home and not in a cubicle in the office.

Here’s a bonus for you – tips on how to up your productivity while remote working, and how to prove it to the higher ups.

#1 Be as on your toes as you would in the office
Know how in the office there’s that sense of urgency to reply emails, get things done, and respond as soon as possible? All that should apply during remote working, even if you’re really on the couch doing work for the day. Be attentive to emails and messages from teammates and your boss; you don’t have to drop everything but do respond quickly so they don’t for a second think that maybe you’re having a nap instead of working. This way, everyone knows you’re working and they can trust you to get things done, wherever you are.

#2 Follow through your deadlines
It’s easy to fall behind deadlines, especially when there isn’t someone physically giving you the pressure to get things done. That’s the #1 pitfall to remote working: Taking things a little too slack. It is also one sure way to signal to your boss you’re not pulling your weight as you would be if you were in the office. The solution is easy: Get your work done on time! It shouldn’t be any different even if you are working from home as a deadline is a deadline. To really prove to your boss you’re topnotch when it comes to productive, you can even get your work done ahead of time! Now that’s one way to prove that office or home, you’re the employee to depend on.

#3 Update, update, update
What worries most bosses about remote working is not being able to track your progress and having to pick up things last minute because you were being a slacker at home. But that’s not you! Instead, how you’ll prove your productivity is by constantly assuring your boss you’re on track so he or she doesn’t have to second guess your productivity. In fact, doing this will also make sure you’re on top of the work you have to deliver, which is a plus for your productivity level too so you don’t fall too far behind that it’s almost impossible to play catch up.

A simple way to track this for both you and your boss? Create a simple table with the task, the key responsibilities, the date you expect to finish them, and the date you completed them. Update this every Monday so both you and your boss have a clear timeline of when you are supposed to deliver work. It is also a great way to plan or reschedule if something impromptu comes along.

Want to make it even more simple and straightforward? A weekly progress email is good enough to highlight the things you’ve finalized and the things you plan to finish by end of the work week.

#4 Plan weekly check-ins with everyone
Not just the boss but also your teammates. It can be something you do daily first thing in the morning or twice a week but the idea is to have a quick meeting so everyone knows what they will be working on and how soon they can expect deliverables. Indirectly, this holds you accountable to your role and there’s no better way to ensure you stay productive – everyone’s counting on you to finish your part so they can do theirs!

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash