Tips for starting a new remote position

DatabaseHead

I'm relatively new to the remote piece.  I've done it part time quite a bit, but starting off from home seems like it could be challenging.  

Any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

cyberguypr

Wear pants for video calls.

scaredoftests

Set a time that you get 'off' You didn't say if you were married or have kids.  There has to be a cut-off time.  Wake up at the same time.  Show that you are a hard worker, because in some cases, remote workers are the first to be laid off (out of sight/out of mind).  Go to the main office every month or so. Good luck.

stryder144

cyberguypr said:

Wear pants for video calls.

I'd probably wear a shirt, too.  One of the key things to remember is that you need to communicate often.  As scaredoftests mentioned, out of sight/out of mind.  Schedule video conference calls with your boss if you can't make it in to see the team on a regular basis.

paul78

If possible, try to carve out an area for a home office. Ideally, it's someplace where you only do work and not personal stuff. It can be a good way to separate work from home.

On days where I don't have to meet or speak with customers, I try to work from the library or a coffee shop just to get a change of scenery and to get out of the house.

Also, I think that because you may feel isolated, there could be a tendency to be jump on every chat message or email that comes your way. I had that problem for a short while and I had to get a bit more discipline so that I'm not distracted if I am deep in some activity.

Unfortunately for me, my biggest problem with working in a home office is the proximity to the refrigerator and hygiene being generally optional. Hopefully, you won't develop those 2 bad habits.

yoba222

Speaking from experience, wearing shirts for video calls is a bit more important than pants. Webcam cover even better. If I had the room, I'd go with one of those portable green screens that attaches to the back of a chair.

kaiju

Close the door during conference calls if you have a family, roommates or large pets. You don't want to be like the guy whose kids wondered into his video call with CNN or like my friend whose GF walked out of the shower NEKKID while he was talking to his boss. 

DatabaseHead

Appreciate the insights.  I do have an office/room with a door and enough square footage to meet my needs.  I planned on keeping myself isolated from the family during hours of engagement.  All of the kids are in school so most days they are out of the house.  

As I get older I like to move jobs less and less, however this opportunity gives me the flexibility to move to a city my wife and I have been targeting and work with some tools I wouldn't of had experience working with......

jcundiff

One important often overlooked aspect is your decompress time that you won't be getting any longer... keep your business hours business, but let the family know that you may need 20-30 minutes after work to transition into being ready for family time.  Working in an office, you get that time to yourself commuting home.

I have been 100% remote for going on three years and love it.  I am more productive due to the fact that if someone is im'ing, emailing, or calling, they actually need something.  No driveby communications because someone saw me as they were walking out of a conference room and bs's for 20 minutes

Also its important to make your family understand that you are at work, not available for their beck and call.  And the issues Paul brought up

devilbones

I loved working from home.  One issue that seem to come up, which I didnt communicate to my wife before was that just because I am at home doesnt mean I have the time off to work around the house.  Make sure that she knows when you are working so she doesnt try to get you to clean the garage or vacuum.  

JDMurray

Always stay in contact with your manager, supervisor, or lead. Don't assume you can deduce the solution to a situation that you do not have direct information for. Having the entire team on IM (Slack, Hangouts, etc.) is a very good thing, so make constant use of it to understand what everyone working on, how your other teammates think, and to crowd-source solutions.

If you are hourly, make sure you understand when, and under what circumstances, you can charge overtime. Remote workers tend to not communicate with their manager(s) as well as in-office employees. Therefore, remotes assume that can do things they want, or simply make up rules that suit them, and ask forgiveness later. This is not a good thing to do; this behavior will only annoy your manager to no end.

DatabaseHead

I appreciate all the great experiences and insights. I have one question that you might be able to help me with from a best practice standpoint. I'm working multiple time zones, Eastern through Pacific. I'm central..... If I have to take my kids to school in the morning, should I block that time off Monday - Friday to prevent people setting up meetings on my calendar?

This has me really nervous lol

scaredoftests

Yes, you should block that time off.