Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Telecommuter?

Working from home sounds like a dream — you can work in your pajamas, you don’t have to commute to work, you have the flexibility to take breaks when it’s most ideal for your workload and is not going to interrupt workflow, and there is no micro-manager watching over your shoulder, sending shivers up your spine.

As great as this all may seem, working remotely isn’t for everyone. There are aspects of telecommuting that can be challenging for certain personalities.

Here are the four skills you need to have if working from home is going to work for you: 

You can multi-task

When working remotely, you have to not only prepare for tasks that are assigned to you, but also prepare for the unexpected. Sixty-one percent of employees said work overload was the number one thing that killed their productivity at work, in a 2014 Cornerstone report that surveyed more than 2,000 employees about their productivity.

There are unique challenges to manage on top of assigned tasks. You need the ability to balance interacting with colleagues online, taking phone calls, and allocating time for yourself to complete each task, along with leaving wiggle room for tasks and problems that may spontaneously arise.

Busy days in the office are typically more manageable because you can rely on the help of fellow colleagues to pitch in. However, you are more often working independently on those tasks when working remotely, and on those hectic days it will be a challenge to keep up if you don’t look ahead and manage your time accordingly.

You are a self-motivator

A perk of working from home is that you don’t have a superior lurking over your desk watching your every move. However, with great power comes great responsibility — it’s up to you to stay motivated and productive.

Work in a space that keeps you focused. For instance, you may need to isolate yourself from other people by staying behind a closed door. Working in your favorite cafe may work best because the energy charges and inspires you. Wherever your productivity hotspot may be, be sure you have all of the resources you need to complete your tasks, such as a reliable internet connection, chargers for electronic devices and a headset, if necessary.

Don’t fall victim to the temptation of using those devices for entertainment, however. Fifty-two percent of HR professionals said cell phones and texting was the top work productivity killer, and the Internet didn’t fall far behind at 44 percent, in a 2015 CareerBuilder survey of 2,175 HR professionals. You may just need to turn off your phone and limit access to social media distractions to stay focused. Be honest with yourself about what helps and hinders your productivity.

No one is going to tell you what not to do. If you acknowledge your distractions and have the willpower to not engage in them, you will be successful when working remotely.

You work well with little direction

When telecommuting, communication isn’t always clear, and many people can’t handle that. In fact, 41 percent of respondents stated that the failure to clearly assign and update tasks was the top threat to effective project communication, according to a 2014 survey by Software Advice.

Online tasks are often explained in a short manner and don’t lay everything out for you step-by-step. If you’re a person who works best with structure and cannot stand ambiguity, working remotely may not be for you.

When technology crashes and human errors occur, it’s much more difficult to communicate with colleagues and complete tasks working outside of an office space. It’s up to you to be a leader and figure out solutions along the way, when you are on your own. Work must go on.

Technology is your friend

Since you are working remotely, a lot of work will be done online. You have to be comfortable with tools like Excel, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, social media and many more online tools. On top of working with these applications, your main communication with colleagues is through online programs.

Sixty-nine percent of employees said the increase in technology made it easier to team up with and update supervisors or colleagues, in a 2015 Flex+Strategy Group survey of more than 600 employees. Almost every aspect of your job from work to communication is done online. If you aren’t comfortable with these tools, you have to be willing to learn — working from home favors the tech-savvy.

What are other skills you need to succeed when working from home?