The Skills You Need to Be a Successful Remote Employee

Skills needed to be a successful remote employee

According to the Owl Labs State of Hybrid Work Report, 62 percent of employees work in the office, 27 percent are hybrid and 11 percent are fully remote. Additionally, if their employer stopped allowing remote and hybrid work, 41 percent would look for a new job that offered more flexibility, 6 percent would quit immediately and 22 percent would expect a pay increase. 

While remote and hybrid work arrangements are highly desirable, remote work isn’t a natural fit for everyone’s skillset. “The best skills for remote workers are easily apparent,” noted Joshua M. Evans, a workplace expert, author and speaker. “They need to be comfortable communicating digitally; they should be ambitious self-starters and able to work independently.”

Consider the following five skills necessary for remote work success. You may recognize them in yourself, but if you don’t, now is the time to cultivate them. 

1. Time-management skills are necessary for remote work success.

When you work from home, co-workers and bosses aren’t around to remind you to stay on task and meet deadlines. However, you must continue to meet employee performance goals and metrics. Companies with remote teams need independent workers who can manage their time responsibly and schedule projects efficiently.

Time management — at work and in your personal life — requires mental preparation. As a remote worker, you must complete tasks according to set deadlines and attend online meetings on time and prepared. If you appear distracted and disorganized, your reputation and work will suffer. 

Remote work isn’t a fit for people who are consistently late and disorganized. Still, time management is a skill any dedicated professional can cultivate. Tech tools and time management tips and tactics can help, including the following: 

• Tech tools for time management: Tools like Toggl can help you track your time and the time you spend on each task. Additionally, use your Google Calendar to keep appointments and commitments straight and Outlook or iCal for scheduling. To-do list apps can also help keep you on track. 
• Time-management techniques: Specific methods can help you prioritize tasks. For example, you can use the Pomodoro technique, in which you work for 25 minutes at a time and take routine breaks to recharge. 

2. Communication skills are crucial for remote work.

Remote work is a completely different environment from office work. There are no face-to-face co-worker interactions and in-person impromptu meetings where you can discuss ideas. Robust, clear communication is critical for remote teams.

The remote worker is often expected to initiate communication and speak up when there’s a problem. Poor communication skills are a recipe for disaster, including missed deadlines, misunderstandings and a toxic company culture. 

The good news is that remote workers and their companies can enhance communication skills and channels. Consider the following suggestions:

• Remote workers must proactively practice communication: If you’re a remote worker, make communication a habit. Don’t hesitate to call, text or email your supervisor with questions about tasks and expectations. Additionally, touch base frequently with co-workers so everyone is updated and on the same page. Communicate your needs regarding team projects and ensure you’re crystal clear about what you need from others.
• Tech tools can enhance communication: Businesses can help remote teams communicate more efficiently by implementing communication tools like Asana, Slack, Trello and Dialpad. These tools help remote teams feel connected and engaged with their colleagues, giving them the resources they need to succeed.

3. Remote work requires technical knowledge and skills.

You’ll need some level of tech knowledge to succeed in a remote position. Remote brands thrive on technology and wouldn’t exist without it. Even nonremote companies require substantial technical expertise — making every company a tech company these days. So, whether it’s your job to create websites or assist the CEO, technical proficiency is a must.

Remote workers must understand the tech their companies use and how it helps reach brand goals. In addition to business software and communication and collaboration tools, proprietary portals and systems must be learned and understood. 

The good news is that you don’t have to be a born techie to cultivate tech skills. Tech skills are transferable, helping improve your hiring chances as you navigate your career path. 

Here are some tips: 

• Check with your company for training opportunities: Many companies provide employee training resources and professional development opportunities to help their employees amass the tech skills and proficiencies they need for success. 
• Pursue tech education on your own: Numerous resources can help professionals learn and brush up on tech skills. For example, investigate online classes offered by Coursera, Udemy or Codecademy. 

4. You need collaboration skills to succeed in remote work.

Collaboration skills are a must in every company. Workplace teamwork is always essential. However, having the skill set to collaborate with team members remotely is critical when telecommuting. Whether creating a new campaign or launching a new product, how well you work with others can spell the difference between remote work success and being out of a job. 

Remote workers rely on the internet to collaborate with their teams. This means actively listening, delegating and communicating via digital channels. Collaboration also involves completing your share of the work on time and sharing credit and responsibility. 

To improve your collaboration skills, become intimately familiar with your company’s collaboration tech tools. (Note that there is some overlap between communication and collaboration tools.)

Popular tools that help employee teamwork and collaboration include the following: 

• Slack 
• Zoom 
• Asana 
• Google Drive 

5. Remote work requires work-life balancing skills.

Some people struggle with working too much; with work always readily available at home, overworking can be a problem. Conversely, remote work’s inherent distractions, such as pets, chores and kids, can mean not getting in enough hours. 

Successful remote employees find the sweet spot, putting in sufficient hours while maintaining a positive work-life balance. It can take some time and discipline to achieve the right balance of working hard and enjoying the freedom and flexibility of working from home. However, with practice, you can develop positive remote work habits that boost your career while allowing you to enjoy your life.

Successfully communicate remote work skills to hiring managers

When seeking a remote or hybrid work arrangement, job seekers must effectively communicate their often intangible remote work skills to hiring managers. The goal is to instill confidence in your ability to thrive as a teleworker by showcasing your skills in practical, relatable ways.

Evans advises listing these specific remote work skills on your resume and putting them in the context of real-world experiences. “Whether it was tackling a workplace-related challenge while traveling or managing virtual meetings, [remote work skills] should be listed within the duties of the roles they’ve held,” Evans explained. “In an interview, [job seekers] should look for opportunities to share stories that reinforce their effectiveness in a remote setting.”

Julia Stalnaya, CEO and founder at Unbench, suggested sharing specific strategies that helped you with remote work success. “I recommend talking about approaches you use while working remotely (like how you came to such work, what tools you are using and how you collaborate with a team) and the results of your work that show your productivity and motivation,” Stalnaya shared.

How to overcome the challenges of remote work

Remote work brings significant benefits. Often, remote teams are more engaged and productive. They avoid commutes and enjoy the flexibility of managing their lives. However, remote work has some significant downsides. 

Here are some of the biggest challenges of remote work and how to overcome them.

1. Remote workers are often confined to the home.

According to Buffer’s State of Remote Work, 33 percent of remote workers say being home too much is an issue and 21 percent say it’s their biggest struggle. There’s no need to commute, so if your job doesn’t entail seeing clients, you’re at home most of the time. This can cause boredom and feelings of stagnation. 

Solution: Exercise your time management skills to overcome this challenge. Take the time you would otherwise commute to work and walk in your neighborhood or a nearby park. Seeing and interacting with others will help you feel more social, give you energy and boost your mood and overall mental health. 

2. Remote workers may feel isolated or lonely. 

Working from home can be inherently lonely. The Buffer report revealed that 23 percent of remote workers struggle with loneliness, with 15 percent saying it’s their biggest challenge with remote work. Offices have easy access to co-workers, lunch opportunities and even close workplace friendships. While you still communicate with colleagues while working remotely, email and video communication lack the warmth of face-to-face communication.

Solution: Practice your work-life balancing skills by reaching out to co-workers to chat about nonwork topics. This can help you form friendships and closer relationships. If you live near co-workers, you can even plan to get together for coffee or lunch. 

Be diligent about maintaining relationships with nonwork friends and family and make time to connect with them regularly. It can also help to get a pet — especially a dog, which will force you to get out of the house to walk.

3. Remote workers may find it hard to unplug.

With the blurred lines between work and personal time, drawing boundaries and knowing when to set work aside can be difficult. According to the Buffer report, 22 percent of workers say this is an issue, with 11 percent calling it their biggest challenge.

Solution: This is where time management skills come into play. Schedule personal tasks before or after work hours to force yourself to shift gears. During your designated personal time, silence work notifications so you won’t be tempted to check your email or work collaboration tool. When on vacation or during the weekends, leave your tablet and laptop at home.

4. Working across time zones is challenging for remote workers.

Many companies with remote workers must deal with geodiversity — employees in different time zones. Varying time zones can be challenging because you must shift your schedule to interact with colleagues who typically are sleeping during your work hours.

In addition to lost sleep, working across different time zones can cause communication lags because the person you message may have to respond much later. 

Solution: To meet the time zone challenge, utilize your communication and technical skills. Limit synchronous communication with people in other time zones to short periods while working on projects that require efficient communication. When the pressure is off, communicate with geographically remote colleagues asynchronously via email or messaging.

Cultivate the remote work skills you need

If you don’t already possess the necessary skills for remote work, the good news is that you can develop them. Emily Walton, founder and coach at Alo Coaching, emphasized the importance of taking initiative in building these skills. “Openly evaluating how strong you are in these areas and getting feedback from those you regularly work with is a great place to gauge where you are with these skills currently,” Walton advised. 

To improve your ability to work autonomously and proactively, Walton recommends focusing on desired outcomes and the steps required to achieve them. “Ask yourself what is the desired outcome and what are the next steps to move progress forward,” Walton advised. “Continue this process until you are uncertain and need additional guidance, then reach out.”

Building remote work skills is an ongoing process, but with initiative, self-reflection and proactive communication, you can develop the expertise needed to succeed and thrive in a remote or hybrid work environment.