Tag: remote worker

Improvement as a Remote Worker Is a Continuous Process

Improvement as a Remote Worker Is a Continuous Process

Leave a comment

Being a remote worker is no longer a far reality for most people. As the pandemic ensues, there is no denying that more and more employees will have to get used to a comfortable workplace setting, specifically, for utmost health protection.

Nonetheless, the comfort brought upon by being a work-from-home worker should not negate your professional improvement. Your home office is now your ground, where you would mold yourself into a better employee as time passes, unless, you are a naturally stagnant person, who does not chase improvement of one’s self.

Improvement should not be defined as knowing what you need to do with regards to your work. As a good example, you should never consider yourself an improved employee simply because you got used to your tasks or you have finished the training. Learning what to do is different from being better at what you do.

If you want to be a better professional, you should look far ahead on what more you can be. How can you do this? It is easier said than done, as they would always say, but there is no refuting that it all starts on knowing what steps to take.

Primarily, you would never improve unless you do not know what should be improved. As mentioned earlier, it is not simply knowing what you need to do at work. You have to be better at what you are tasked to carry out. For instance, it is not simply submitting the deliverables on time, but challenging yourself to give results earlier than expected. Find out where you are most consistent, and you will be surprised at how much you can actually improve at.

Furthermore, you should also ask yourself if you have a career goal in mind. Do you see yourself handling bigger tasks in the future? If you do, then ask yourself, can you already be relied on in terms of the basic and small ones? At times, remote workers tend to be complacent with their usual activities, to the point that they do not realize it is a sign that they are not improving at all. Observe and you may discover that you are not progressing at all. Your employer may actually be hesitant to trust you for bigger responsibilities because you do not give him or her reason yet.

Simply because you are working online, you can no longer be a better professional. In truth, when you are a remote worker, there is a wide spectrum of skills you can obtain. This is regardless of your usual day-to-day tasks. If your job is concentrated on administrative tasks, why not take trainings to explore other work, which you have been interested in since then. For instance, website development, graphic design, accounting, etc. The online work industry is way too open at present for you to ignore the many opportunities to learn.

You also have to admit your mistakes at work if you want to improve. There is no person that would get better unless he or she embraces the truth that one errs. No matter how used you are to what you are doing, there will be instances that you will somehow lose focus or forget an important detail leading to your misstep.

Improvement as a remote worker can also be defined by how you appreciate the work you currently have. No one would be able to better himself or herself unless he or she obtains comfort in his or her space. If you get impatient, that is when you would start seeing your work as a burden or a chore. When that happens, even the possibility of getting used to your job is no longer there.

Lastly, bettering yourself comes from not-so-technical things, as well. Who would be a better professional, who does not even give importance to professionalism, teamwork, loyalty, or even honesty? No matter how effective and productive you think you are, if your personality is questionable at present, then you are overall an inefficient employee. Assess yourself and do not be consequential simply because you give results. Remember, if you are talking about skills, that could be taught. However, if you tend to give importance to how you deal with people around you, that could leave a mark not only on your superiors, but on your co-workers, as well.

As you go on with your professional journey, remember that you are in a continuous process of improvement. Be vigilant and watchful of yourself. If you maintain to do so, a path full of possibilities for success and growth would be laid down for you.

Initiative and the Different Ways of Showing It

Initiative and the Different Ways of Showing It

Leave a comment

One question you should ask yourself if you are planning to improve your work performance is, “Do I have initiative?” Many virtual assistants may be skillful, but not all of them could have the initiative in many situations in the workplace. Some may give you useful business material, but cannot be relied on whenever you are not present. Hence, a lack of initiating an efficient action when deemed necessary.

If you want to develop yourself as a well-rounded virtual assistant, you should practice your initiative. This is one distinguishing feature that clients look for, given the fact they hired you to assist them both when they are around and the contrary.

There are different ways you could show that you have initiative, and these are surprisingly simple. Given below are a few examples:

Taking charge when necessary. Your client is not always available to handle the tasks in the workplace. There will be times that you will decide on his or her behalf. Nonetheless, of course, there are limitations to this. You have to confirm with your employer if you can make your own decisions regarding certain matters when he or she is not available. Although there would be surprising instances that you suddenly have to take a step without further approval, clarifying things out beforehand is a safe move for you.

One good example is when you have to provide a certain quotation for a customer. If you often get approval from your employer regarding this, but there came a time that urgency was required, you may provide a quotation as you considered fit. Simply ensure to put yourself in the shoes of your employer. Consider what he or she would decide to do in case he or she is in the same situation. This is when knowing your client’s personality matters a lot.

Understanding vague instructions smartly. There are clients, who would often provide you instructions that are quite difficult to understand. Due to rushing and upcoming meetings, some of them would leave you with unclear orders. In other words, you have to use your intellect to ensure that the output you will provide is what they need.

For instance, you were required to search for lamps, which could be offered by the company in the next quarter. Instead of providing your client a research, comprising all kinds of lamps, you have to consider the nature of your business. Does the company offer office supplies? If that is the case, then you may only focus on lamps that could be used in a workplace or home office. On the other hand, if your firm is focused on home improvement, then you could work on a broader search for lamps, which could be both for offices and house furnishing.

Avoiding procrastination. It is also an initiative when you work in advance to ensure that cramming would not get in your way. Be reminded that most clients prefer that you do not let things pile up. Urgent tasks will come sooner or later, resulting in more things to manage. Do not let delayed work ruin your reputation, which is more likely when you postpone activities unnecessarily.

Take advantage of your free time, whenever the season is not hectic. Furthermore, effective time management will help you be productive every day. Simply prevent distractions and keep yourself focused during your work.

Understanding your client’s situation. If you are an executive assistant for your client, you have to accept the fact that you will organize him or her instead of the other way around. Should there be a time you noticed that he or she is often struggling in keeping up with his or her appointments, initiative comes in by how you could solve this. Instead of letting your client simply ask you to input appointments for him or her, you may also create a system of reminders, so he or she would not miss any activity during the day.

Additionally, if your client is already burdened with tons of documents to complete, offer your help, even if he or she does not require you to assist.

The aforementioned ways are effective means to show your client that you can be trusted and relied on regardless of him or her being focused on other matters of the business. Simply practice taking initiative and you would soon be accustomed to the trait.

Punctuality How Important It Is for a Remote Worker

Punctuality: How Important It Is for a Remote Worker

Leave a comment

Have you ever been late at work? Do you find yourself frequently missing your kick-off meetings? Probably, it is time to reflect if these happen to you, for punctuality is an essential trait of a reliable remote worker. In other words, if you fail to possess this habit, it may also cost your job.

There are various reasons why punctuality is something employers look for in a virtual assistant. It may be trivial for some, especially to those, who highly favor flexible schedules. However, it is not the case for the rest, who value professionalism, which encompasses one’s careful consideration of work schedule.

To begin with, punctuality is a very important characteristic of a remote worker for it shows how committed you are to your work. Simply think of it in this way: were you ever late for an appointment with your wife or husband? There is a possibility that you failed to show up on time, but it costed you big time, either by an argument or long-term guilt. This only implies that you will never be late to something that is of import to you.

Employers believe that a punctual person is someone they could rely on. Obviously, for instance, your shift starts at 8:00 A.M., so it is quite anticipated that tasks, either urgent or not, will be available for taking as the clock strikes at the said time. If you are often tardy, your employer would not even consider you for projects, given he or she would not be certain if you would show up early or the contrary. Somehow, it is a gamble for him or her to depend on you all the time.

Moreover, punctuality shows that you are someone, who cares about your co-workers. If you are on time, you would not be delaying the tasks, which may be needed by your team members before they could proceed with their part of the project. Being punctual is not limited to going to work on time. Instead, it could also cover instances, wherein you ensure that you do not miss the deadlines of your activities.

Professionalism is greatly conveyed by punctuality as a remote worker. It shows that despite the convenience of being at home, you respect the rules set upon by your employer. This includes showing up on time based on the schedule agreed upon by both parties.

Being punctual is not difficult, only if you put your mind into it. Be reminded that as a virtual assistant, you have fewer reasons to be late. Your workspace could only be a few steps from your bedroom. You do not have to battle traffic and pollution outside. As a virtual worker, you are often not required to don a professional attire, which may take much of your preparation time. Plus, it is not too time-consuming to open up your PC and set up the materials you need for the day.

Be reminded that despite working home-based, you should still maintain your professionalism in every aspect possible. Never let comfort ruin your reputation as a steadfast virtual assistant.

Avoiding Client’s Trust Issues as a Remote Worker

Leave a comment

Being a remote worker entails a lot in terms of sustaining the trust of your client. With the difference in working virtually or not personally interacting with your employer, it is nothing but expected that he or she would have episodes of trust issues. However, fret not, for there are ways for you to avoid these.

You could begin with the situation of you working without the client supervising you personally. Apparently, this is the point wherein your employer would likely think about how active you are during your working hours. There are cases that virtual assistant encounters assumptions from their clients that they are not carrying out their tasks, as necessary.

In order for you to prevent your employer’s trust issues in terms of your activity during your shift, you may simply maintain your responsiveness. Most clients surmise you are doing something else aside from the tasks he or she assigned if you do not respond to his or her messages immediately. Responsiveness has always been effective in ensuring your client would not have any problem with coordination. Even if there are urgent activities up ahead, your employer will never worry relying on you to be there, whenever needed.

On the other hand, in terms of assuring your client would not have any doubts relative to your productivity, a full report would be most helpful. Every end of your day, a list of your accomplished works would be efficient in showing your employer that you are not stagnant. You would also be helping your client to understand how efficient you are in terms of time and project management. Your report somewhat serves as your validation to contest how contributive you are to their organization’s growth.

With the virtual environment for your entire work with your client, taking advantage of technology is one way to ensure he or she would not doubt your work result. For instance, he or she is having reservations as to whether you are looking for the materials needed or not (since you were not able to provide it given it is unavailable), then you may give him or her proof of where you have sourced it. At present, you could provide links, attachments, or even screenshots to your clients, giving them a better understanding of how you carried out your work. This will keep them from thinking that you slack off.

Lastly, in terms of leaves and absences, clients tend to develop trust issues whenever they do not have further proof of your reason for not reporting. For instance, you have been gone for too long due to sickness. Then, it is best to submit a medical certificate, which could somehow avoid their clouded thoughts on what keeps you away from work. Transparency and honesty are keys here.

With the aforementioned pointers above, you would understand that trust issues would never develop with the right management of your relationship with your employer. No matter how different your setup is compared to office-based employees, you could still make your remote work life ideal and valuable for you and your client.

Understanding: What Does It Mean for a Remote Worker?

Understanding: What Does It Mean for a Remote Worker?

Leave a comment

As a remote worker, it is a common practice to simply exchange e-mails or make phone calls with your employer and team members. Some virtual staff even find it odd whenever they face a lot of calls in a position that should not require much of it. For instance, they are required to attend various meetings with suppliers, customers, and partners of their firm among others.

The aforementioned situation may be the reason why there are cases in the remote work industry that call for better understanding among professionals. When you say understanding, it means you have to look at a bigger perspective. It is not simply what you comprehend on the e-mails you have received or hear on the calls you are getting.

One good example is when a co-worker denied to assist you with an urgent project. You have to remember that simply because a message implying rejection was sent to you, the said team member takes things personally. For example, he or she does not simply want to help for you are new in the company. This is not the case most of the time. As mentioned above, you got to look at the situation in a different light. Possibly, your co-worker is caught up in an urgent task, as well, which resulted in him or her not being able to help. Moreover, due to the pressing importance of his or her activity, he or she failed to explain the situation well enough.

This is where understanding would come in. If you practice understanding towards your co-worker, you would never think negatively right away. You will consider other possibilities in the picture. Be reminded that prejudice is not often welcomed in a team, especially a virtual one. With the limitation of simply being able to coordinate via messages or calls, you do not tend to see your team member the whole time. You do not see him or her working on his or her tasks or making haste to meet deadlines. In truth, you will be deluged with tons of possibilities, which would most likely be false instead of true.

The same goes for your employer. Being a company owner or an executive imposes a lot of responsibilities. If he or she fails to assist you or answer your inquiry right away, this does not entail that he or she is showing a lack of care for his or her employees. Take note that this could connote that he or she is attending meetings or working on more important matters in the company.

To gain the said trait of understanding towards your employer and co-workers more effectively, you have to mull over the fact you also go through what they experience while working. It is simply a give-and-take process. If you are in their shoes (having to rush and work on critical activities), letting go of possibilities to support or communicate with your team members due to pending assignments, they would likely understand your situation and give you space, as well.

The most beneficial result when all people in an organization practice understanding is the lack of rift. Harmony would be maintained and there could be a more personal connection to one another. With the build-up of good relationships in a company, there will always be a promising success onward.

Remember, it is all about widening your view of the situation. Let understanding rule your thinking before being assumptive.