The Do’s and Don’ts for Remote Workers

Working remotely is, for most, literal heaven. If you need to spend more than 30 minutes commuting to or from work, it also goes without saying why you love working from the comfort of your home.

At the same time, even if not being in an actual office is a blessing for some, for others it can be just the opposite. We’re not saying that they might miss it too much, but they might not do everything they’re supposed to do at work.

It’s clear that working remotely allows us to skip certain parts of the work and take breaks whenever we want, as long as we’re not doing anything suspicious. But this makes for unhealthy workplace ethics. As such, let’s take a close look at the do’s and don’ts for remote workers!

The Do’s for Remote Workers

When talking about the dos, we mean more than just doing your job and doing it well. You might not feel it, but there are things that you should be doing to ensure your team knows that you are on the right track.

• Stay in Contact With Your Team – If you’re working on various projects that you can usually complete by yourself, you might feel the urge to not talk with your colleagues unless you have to. This is a no-no, regardless of the place you work from. It’s always recommended to ask for feedback or opinions from your team.
• Dress for the Job You Have – Obviously, we don’t say that you should spend your work-from-home days in a full suit and even shoes. But, at the same time, you shouldn’t work in the same clothes that you slept in. Dress casually, but appropriately enough to make video calls and make yourself feel better throughout the day.
• Wake Up as Usual – Working from home means that we don’t have to commute and, naturally, wake up early. But this doesn’t mean that you should wake up 5 minutes before your job actually starts. If you want to keep yourself prepared for an in-office environment, wake up at the same hour you did before.
• Make Use of the Lack of Work Time – By now, it is well known that from the 7 hours that we have to spend in an office, we actively work only 4 to 5 hours. This makes for multiple tiny breaks throughout the day when there’s no work to be done. Don’t take these breaks for granted – learn new things, entertain your hobbies, and so on. For example, you could learn trading and maybe even make some money on the side, while working your remote job. The global Forex brokers database is there to help you not only pick the best broker but also teach you how to trade properly. 

The Don’ts for Remote Workers

When it comes to the don’ts, one has to be particularly careful, as one has to pay attention to the type of job to be done as well. As a result, the don’ts can be very different, in general – but the following usually applies to anyone. 

• Don’t Procrastinate – Obviously, you shouldn’t do what has the potential to keep you working overtime and, maybe, even without any extra pay either. On top of that, procrastination doesn’t make any sense while working remotely. If you finish what you have to do, early, you don’t have to pretend that you’re still working in case your boss watches. You can browse the web, watch a show, or even lie down for a while to rest.
• Don’t Do Chores While Working – Just as you did before, keep the chores for before or after your work hours. There has to be a balance between the two. The only difference now is that, in the 1-hour lunch break that you have, you can do many more things than you were able to do at the office. Take advantage of that and the lack of commute, of course.
• Don’t Work From Just Anywhere – While working remotely, most people live under the impression that they can work from literally anywhere in the world. As such, they take their laptop and hit the first café they find and, naturally, will have a hard time working properly there. For serious remote work, we do recommend an office/workspace dedicated to making you feel like you’re on the job. 
• Don’t Browse Social Media – Social media is, as you know, the killer of productivity. You have to stay away from it, or you will also, unknowingly, engage in procrastination. Even if you now have the opportunity to browse Facebook or Instagram while in a meeting with your colleagues, you shouldn’t do so. If you can’t help it, then you can use apps that block your access to social media during pre-set work hours. 

Working Comfortably Remotely 

Some of the do’s and don’ts from above might make remote work feel a bit too intense. To be more specific, some might not want to follow certain of the advice given, just because they think it will negate the comfort of working from home. 

In this case, the choice of whether to do or not do something is entirely yours. But, ultimately, make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of comfortably working from home. You might be at home, but you’re still working, and a slight lack of comfort will always be there.

The Bottom Line

Naturally, these aren’t all the do’s and don’ts you have to take into account. In most cases, your employer will tell you which most of the don’ts are since their main interest is you being able to do your job properly.

Then, regarding the vast majority of the do’s, you’ll find out about those on your own. For example, even those that have never engaged in procrastination in their entire life might feel the urge to do so now. Those are the people that will learn the most from working remotely, if they’re paying attention, obviously.

Originally posted 2021-08-18 01:14:54.