There was a time when working remotely wasn’t viewed as a viable career path. The idea of working from home was fraught with doubt. Surely, no one who worked from home would advance on the career ladder, right?
There was a study done on remote work that allegedly said telecommute workers were less expected to be promoted to significant positions, receive big raises, or earn rave performance reviews from their managers. The person who sold LED lighting products from home was not better in performance than that of their in-store counterpart. Remote employees, the study said, lacked the necessary ‘passive face time’ for improvement in the office.
With the pandemic, this stigma is slowly starting to crumble. Workers from home are just as productive as their in-office counterparts. If you’re a part of the remote workforce, take a look at how you can advance your career, even from home.
Keep Your Excellence
Do you see anything significant between working from home and working in an office? Aside from the obvious differences, there’s nothing different, really — the excellence you need to show in the office is just the same when you’re working from home.
If you’re not in the office every day (or you’re one of the many office workers who works from home now) then you’ll have to keep excelling at a consistent level. That constant dedication to delivering results at a high level will eventually pay off.
Consider this — if the remote work you’re doing right now is a temporary thing, then a consistent display of competence even at home may eventually deliver you that promotion. It might even make your boss consider making the remote work arrangement permanent if they see no difference in the work done from the office or from home.
Keep to your Hours
While there are many more liberties to be enjoyed when working from home, it falls on you to discipline yourself with these liberties. You can’t just stand up and get out of the ‘office’ if you want; what this means is that you should still keep your lines of communication open.
During office hours, if a colleague needs confirmation on an email or needs to hear from you, you should be prompt in answering. No one likes a coworker who doesn’t answer right away or just responds after office hours. Be professional during office hours, but don’t let the office spill out of your regular hours, too. It’s all about discipline.
Keep Yourself Visible
This means that you should be able to present yourself at least once or twice a month at the office. It pays to have a face-to-face relationship with your colleagues. Even after the pandemic, you can keep doing this by at least connecting to your colleagues at the office personally.
Be a friend or at least a team player with your coworkers. Participate in online activities that foster friendship or at least camaraderie between teammates. During the pandemic, at least join meetings that are aimed at fostering a better connection between coworkers.
Keep Communicating with the Right People
Experts agree that talk remains the most effective way of sending feelers that you’re ready for a challenge. You should let your boss know about this, but it’s not as simple saying that ‘I’m ready for a raise’ or ‘I want a promotion.’
The rules are still the same and simple: you should send your boss a professional email letting them know that you’re ready for the next stage.
If your boss sends back a confirmed answer, then you should continue the conversation. Prepare to please your case, and make your voice heard.
Keep your Networks
Advancing your career is also a matter of knowing the right people — mentors and coworkers alike. If you feel like moving to the next step, then you should develop your network. Just because you’re working at home, doesn’t mean they should become strangers.
There are remote workers who feel that they have less knowledge of opportunities for career growth. If you feel like you’re being left out, reach out to your network within the office. You might have just missed a memo or two, but you should let them know and feel that you’re looking for an opportunity, even when working from home.
Both school and office have been dressed in new appearances during the pandemic, but mostly remains the same. If you think you can advance your career from home, make sure that you’re truly ready for the new responsibilities — as well as the new normal of working in a new position, even from home.
