Working remotely
Now's your time to shine
While working remotely does come with its own unique set of challenges, it is also an opportunity to exercise personal leadership and demonstrate that you are a reliable, trustworthy and self-sufficient contributor to your team's overall success. Learn how you can step up to the challenge of virtual project work and help maximize your team’s efficiency.
Practice proactive communication
Inform your leader when key tasks are completed, inquire about upcoming tasks and ask for clarification on priorities when necessary. Acknowledge emails or IMs as soon as you receive them and, for any requests, provide an estimated time when you expect it to be complete. By doing this, you are building trust in an important work relationship This is also a good time to ask what you can do to support the manager or company during a stressful time. When in doubt, over communicate!
Track your time
Use a time-management tool like the Pomodoro technique or time blocking to track how much time you spend on assigned tasks, and communicate this back to your leader. This not only demonstrates personal accountability, but also keeps your project leader informed of your progress and allows them to adjust timelines as needed.
Learn your team’s remote technologies
Whether your team is using real-time communication apps (Slack, Zoom, Skype), online project-management tools (Trello, Basecamp, Asana, Microsoft Teams), remote desktop-sharing apps (TeamViewer, Microsoft Remote Desktop) or a combination of the above, make sure to familiarize yourself with your team’s chosen technologies. Seek out virtual training videos or how-to guides to ensure the technology won’t slow you down. If you notice coworkers struggling to learn new systems that you have experience with, offer your support.
Head back to our student resources page for other topics on working remotely...