Working from home can be so convenient! If you’ve got a long commute and your work can be done remotely, it just makes sense. Plus, having some distance from the office can sometimes help you to be more focused and productive.

But telecommuting can also cause problems. You could start to feel disconnected from the rest of the team. And if there’s a lack of communication between you and the office, your coworkers could start to feel annoyed and frustrated.

So what should you do if you want to keep your coworkers happy and your projects running smoothly? Here are three things that every remote worker should do:

  1. Work regular hours – If your hours change every day or you work late at night when everyone else is asleep, your coworkers might have trouble contacting you when they need your input. This could lead to a lot of irritation. Your coworkers need to know when they can reach you and have confidence that you’ll be there. And ideally, you should be available during regular working hours.
  2. Be responsive – If you’re difficult to reach or simply not responding to emails promptly, you could create a bottleneck on a project. This could cause your coworkers to feel annoyed or resentful, especially if there’s a tight deadline that needs to be met. Try to be as available as you can, and respond to your coworkers’ questions and requests as quickly as possible.
  3. Don’t be a stranger – Let your coworkers get to know you! Even if you work from home all the time, try to schedule a visit to the office now and then, just to interact with the people you work with. If your coworkers know you and like you, you’ll be able to work together more smoothly and successfully.

 

Fienning, M. (n.d.). How to make sure your boss doesn’t regret letting you work from home. The Muse. Retrieved from https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-make-sure-your-boss-doesnt-regret-letting-you-work-from-home?ref=recently-published-0