4
votes
Five reasons why the company you want to work for won’t hire telecommuters (and four ways to get hired anyway)
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- Authors
- Esther Schindler
- Published
- Oct 4 2016
- Word count
- 2289 words
This. A thousand times, this.
I've had two jobs in different careers where I've been able to work from home, and both times it succeeded only because I had previously worked in the office full-time and, when I changed to working from home, I still attended the office one or two days per week.
As the article says, when you're remote, you're left out. Out of sight, out of mind. You become just a task-doer rather than a person. "Send an email to X and the task will be done." There's no connection, no involvement, no inclusion. I have missed out on learning useful stuff because I wasn't in the office where I could overhear people talking, and join in on random conversations. That spontaneity does help, like the article points out.
But building the connections first - making yourself a person in your co-workers' eyes and learning about them as people - helps when your communications are reduced to words on a screen or even a voice on the phone.
And, after you've built those connections, you need to maintain them with regular personal contact at least once a week.
Working remotely can be great if it's done well. Otherwise, it's miserable for you and less effective for your employer.