With perks that include setting your own schedule, travelling at will, and no more commuting, remote work is an attractive alternative to traditional workplace employment. By 2020, estimates show that up to 50 percent of Americans will do a portion or all of their work at home. How can you be the lucky successful remote worker who can forge a new chapter in how Americans work? A Baylor University study provides some applicable answers.
What the Baylor Study Says About the Successful Remote Worker
Researchers found that emotional stability and a high level of autonomy were the best gauge for predicting an employee’s success with telecommuting. Published in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, “Stress in Remote Work: Two Studies Testing the Demand-Control-Person Model”, the study surveyed 403 working adults to examine the relationship between remote work and stress.
According to Baylor University’s assistant professor of management, Sara Perry, a successful remote worker shows high levels of these traits and tends to take problems in stride and work positively to develop a solution. Having these traits also enables employees to handle high-stress situations without being distracted by strong emotions, such as frustration or anger, which can derail a project.
A person who lacks these abilities is more susceptible to stress and strain when working independently, making them a less successful remote worker. On the flip side, the study also indicates that individuals with lower levels of emotional stability may be less likely to want autonomy. Because of the lower drive for autonomy, these workers might be happier in workplaces with colleagues and managers close by for collaboration.
However, workers that possess self-motivation and the ability to handle stress aren’t always readily available. Professor Perry stated that providing additional resources, training, and equipment can help some candidates excel remotely, even if they don’t have optimal levels of emotional stability and autonomy. In particular, managers should stress face-to-face meetings (digitally and in-person), set performance expectations, and promote separation of work and family life.
How This Study Affects You: How Difficult Will it be for You to Become a Successful Remote Worker
The Baylor study indicates that emotional stability and high levels of self-motivation and autonomy are important to managing the stress of a remote worker. However, even if you score low in these areas now, there are tactics you can use to improve your stress management abilities. Even those who score high in these traits can benefit from additional training because even when you’re prepared, you may find times when stress still overwhelms you.
The sources of stress can vary, but for remote workers, it’s often caused by a lack of social interaction with other employees, a blurred line in work-life balance, extended hours, or consistently shouldering the entire load of a large project. If you’re a freelancer or a contractor, your stress may snowball faster, as you don’t always have access to people and resources that can help you cope.
Below are a few strategies you can implement to increase your capacity for handling stress, enhance your emotional stability, and improve your comfort working autonomously, which should increase your likelihood of becoming a successful remote worker.
- Define your boundaries. Create a schedule to help you maintain the optimal work-life balance. This doesn’t mean you should shut down your laptop during crunch time for a huge project. Nonetheless, managing your time and the expectations of your employer should be the central deciding factors in your schedule and boundary creation.
- Hold regular meetings. Seeing people face-to-face via Skype, FaceTime, or in-person can help to clarify communication, as well as foster a deeper relationship with your clients or employer.
- Make connections. Interact with co-workers from the office or network with other freelancers. These connections will help build your professional career. They’ll also help you unwind when you feel stressed.
- Take a vacation. Over half of Americans don’t use all their vacation time and a quarter didn’t go on holiday at all. If you’re a freelancer, you won’t get any paid time off. However, advance planning to complete work ahead of time will help you schedule time to unwind and recharge your freelancing batteries.
- Get some exercise. Exercise has been repeatedly linked to higher levels of productivity. Go for a walk, knock out a few push-ups, or schedule a midday gym trip to give your body and mind the jolt it needs to be a more successful remote worker.
Other Coveted Traits of a Successful Remote Worker
Even if you don’t feel like you possess the motivation or emotional stability mentioned in the study, it doesn’t mean your dreams of telecommuting are over. These are only two important attributes of a successful remote worker. Employers and clients have a laundry list of traits they prize in individuals working from home. Building a skill set that encompasses these qualities can help you find the jobs you seek while giving you the confidence necessary to succeed.
Self-Starter
Being a self starter goes hand in hand with autonomy, but it can encompass even more. Even if you don’t have high levels of self-motivation, knowing what needs to be done and having a willingness to do it makes you a self-starter. These individuals are typically highly experienced and use their skills to complete the next step in a project. If you aren’t experienced, a bonafide self-starter knows who to ask when they’re stuck or need direction. By finding the most efficient way to finish a project, you solve problems without gobbling up company resources, making this skill one of the most highly sought-after qualities in remote workers.
Responsive and Punctual
Remote workers who put their email on silent or miss deadlines won’t last too long. Although remote jobs may have more flexibility, it’s your responsibility to know when you should be plastered to your laptop. Time-sensitive projects and other deadline-based work may require you to answer emails and instant messages at a moment’s notice. Other times, you may have more leniency.
Being both responsive and punctual can help you maintain healthy work relationships and avoid a reputation of apathy or indifference. If you aren’t sure, ask. Few employers complain when a remote worker asks for clarification or guidance.
Adapting to Work Conditions
Employers are on the search for adaptable workers who can make adjustments on the fly. A person set in their ways doesn’t typically make a strong remote worker. So, when you can solve problems on your own and communicate effectively while under stress, you have a level of adaptability that makes you tailor-made for telecommuting.
Time-Management Skills
Excellent time management is an attribute that doesn’t come naturally to everyone, especially when transitioning from a typical 9-to-5 to a more flexible remote job. When your workday has set hours, you’re not responsible for anything that happens when you’re away from the desk. Unfortunately, that level of separation doesn’t exist in remote positions.
Although you may not be expected to be at your computer 12 hours a day, you will have to meet deadlines. For example, an 8 a.m. deadline on a project that’s lagged behind may require you to pull an all-nighter. This type of work isn’t always avoidable, but a person with strong time-management skills can put a project on track to limit stress and increase productivity.
A Team Player
Being a team player seems counterintuitive to success as a remote worker, but it’s a highly desirable skill. Even if you’re a a solo contractor or freelancer, chances are you’ll work on projects as a member of a team. Remote workers have to be more vigilant than their onsite counterparts to ensure they remain in contact with the rest of the team. They need to recognize that lapses in their work can have an adverse effect on everyone else. Team players are always welcomed, but if you possess this skill as a remote worker, you’re sure to attract employers.
Results-Oriented
A results-oriented worker finishes their tasks efficiently and effectively within the allotted time. In some instances, this may mean that you meet the deadline ahead of time. Unlike a cubicle- or office-based worker, this doesn’t mean additional paper shuffling or busy work. Instead, remote workers move on to the next task. This mentality eliminates waste and idle time, providing more productivity, even when you’re away from the office.
In addition, you may have a level of flexibility that caters to results-oriented work. Instead of focusing on how you get to the end result, the only thing that matters is the final product. If you’re creative and motivated, this can give you the upper hand over more traditional employees.
Confidence and the Ability to Work Alone
Confidence oozes into every part of your performance, but it’s not a trait everyone possesses. When you’re confident, you can work on important parts of a project by your lonesome. Often without company oversight or direct management. If you trust yourself to get the job done, you will be an invaluable resource to a company. While this may require more responsibility and attention to detail, it will help you build positive work relationships, put you in the running for promotions, and improve your pay over time.
As the Baylor University study demonstrates, not everyone is cut out for remote work. Certain intangible qualities aren’t intrinsic in every individual and trying to develop them when none exist naturally may be a futile effort. But with the right mix of job skills, motivation, and mindset, you can be a valuable team member — all from the comfort of your own home.
Do you have any of these traits that make a successful remote worker? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to tell us what you think. We’d love to hear from you!
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