4 Ways to Secure Your Work-From-Home Gig

Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Work In My Pajamas

It’s no surprise that the option of telecommuting, or what others like to call working from home, is steadily on the rise—with the increasing development of technological advancements such as video chatting software, social media sites, and powerful portable tablets and other devices, fewer employees are actually needed in the office to perform tasks. In fact, statistics show that in 2011 there were more than 34 million people who worked remotely occasionally, Forrester Research reports.

But unfortunately there is a bad stigma associated with telecommuters: remote workers don’t actually work. Even if this isn’t true, employers can’t really monitor how employees spend their work day so they are typically a little hesitant to grant permission for some employees to work from home fulltime. But if given the opportunity, you want to ensure that you don’t screw it up. You need to learn how to compensate for the loss face-time to create job stability. To learn four simple tips how, follow the tips below. <!–more–>

1. Keep Constant Communication with Higher Up’s. In the business world, if you’re not seen or heard, you will be forgotten. This means if the opportunity for a promotion or a new position arises, you probably won’t even be considered. Remind managers and other bosses of your existence by checking-in on a daily basis. Whether you’re reporting updates on a project or just saying “hello,” use an array of communication to keep in touch. You want your boss(es) to know you on a name basis and not forget you.

2. Always Stay “Connected.” No matter where you choose to work from remotely, you need to always make sure that you are easily accessible and readily available—for example, if an employer emails you, you need to be able to respond to it right away. This may mean staying logged in on your email, instant messaging, or social media site accounts at all times (whether it be on your laptop or smartphone) but you need to make sure that you are reachable and will respond promptly.

And always try to make sure that you can resolve any issue or answer any question your superior may have in one single email. If there are too many threads to a question— meaning there’s a lot of back and forth, but the question could’ve been answered in less than 30 seconds if asked in person— your boss my reconsider letting you work remotely.

3. Create a Work Log. Since it’s hard for employers to keep track of your real-time progress make it a little bit easier for them by showing your productivity via informal “work-logs.” Create to-do lists and document when you finish each assignment using Google Doc or some other similar online document sharing tool. You can also document any kind of complications or concerns that may have come about with each assignment/project, so your employer can see how you allocated your time.

4. Know Your Co-Workers. If it ever comes to pink slip time, employees who are well liked by their co-workers are usually the less likely to get fired. Of course, working from home can really get in the way of “bonding” time with your team. The best way to stay in the loop is to attend as many social gatherings as you can to get to know your co-workers.  Whether it’s going to the week night happy hour, the Christmas party, or any other work-related event, go and mingle. Follow up by adding them on LinkedIn, Facebook, or any other social media sites that can help improve the communication between all of you.

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.