For people in more traditional work settings, the idea of working from home might seem like a dream. After all, working from home comes with all kinds of perks: sleeping in until ten minutes before you clock in, wearing your pajamas all day, making lunch in your own kitchen without having to rush back to work, watching “The Office” reruns on your breaks, and not having to commute also certainly has its advantages and saves a ton of money on gas and car maintenance.
Working from home is becoming more common, with approximately three million Americans who never go into an office and thirty million people working from a home office at least once a week. Those numbers are only expected to increase in the coming years. Even though it may seem to be on the fast track to becoming more mainstream, it’s important to note that working from home isn’t for everyone. There are five essential traits that every remote worker needs to have in order to be successful in his or her career:
Self-discipline
Without a doubt, this the most important part of working from home. For some people, it can be difficult to turn on the switch that tells their brains to work when they’re sitting in the comfort of their own living rooms. It’s so easy to get distracted sitting at your own desk in your own house, but a great remote worker is able to tune his or her focus into whatever needs to be done, without distraction from outside sources, especially since there are always deadlines to meet.
Good Organization
Those who work from home understand how difficult their jobs can be when they aren’t properly organized, especially if they’re working with multiple clients and/or multiple projects at one time. Learning to organize and prioritize makes things so much easier.
Effective Communication Skills
One of the biggest challenges of working from home is that remote workers aren’t able to communicate in person with their supervisors and colleagues, which means that they must rely on text (usually email) and/or phone calls to communicate. It’s important to always be able to communicate whatever it is that needs to be said, and to constantly be in contact with colleagues to make sure that everything is on the right track.
Proactiveness
Sometimes, there are days that can be a bit slow. Maybe clients are on vacation and don’t have any work to be done at the moment. Maybe the remote worker is waiting on responses to questions before moving forward with projects. Maybe it’s just a slow workday. A good remote worker will find something to do, often checking in with clients or assisting colleagues in their own projects. There is always something that needs to be done and it’s important to be proactive and stay on top of things.
Flexibility
Remote workers rely on technology because that’s how they stay connected with the office. Technology is always evolving and companies are constantly finding new ways to make their employees (especially ones who work from home) more efficient and better at being connected with one another. It’s also important to be able to adapt to the job and the projects involved and be willing to learn new things all the time.
Of course, there are many other personality traits that can help in this line of work, but these ones can make or break your ability to work from home effectively.