5 Skills For Success When Working From Home

This year has seen a significant number of people pivot to working from home. While some of these people will eventually return to the office, there are also a great number of people who will continue to work from home for the foreseeable future. As the workforce makes this adjustment, what does it take to successfully work from home?

The first skill necessary for success when working from home is an ability to self-manage. One of the pros of working at home is the option to be more flexible with your schedule. However, with this flexibility comes a higher need to self-manage your time. Without the structure of the work environment or bosses regularly checking in, employees need to be able to better manage their schedule. This also includes being able to set boundaries to manage the balance of work and personal responsibilities..

Organization is another skill necessary for successfully working from home. Again, without the structure of the typical work environment, being able to organize your work space and systems is incredibly important. You can develop this skill by researching, and then implementing, an organizational system designed to help you meet your goals.

Additionally, it is critical to develop tech skills to successfully work from home. When you’re not working in the office you will likely have less access to in-person tech support. Therefore it is important to be able to develop various tech skills to allow you to troubleshoot on your own. You can develop this skill by taking time to coordinate with the IT Department to learn more about the systems and software you use regularly.

Communication is another skill that is invaluable when working from home. When you work in a traditional office setting you are likely to communicate regularly with colleagues and supervisors. Whether that is over the water cooler, in the break room, or passing in the halls, this informal communication can be incredibly helpful for successfully doing your job. So it is important to develop additional communication skills to offset the loss of in person conversations. Being able to communicate with supervisors, peers, and those who report to you is critical to being able to successfully work from home.

Finally, independence is a crucial skill needed for working from home successfully. As you set your own schedule and work to meet deadlines and goals, developing independence is necessary to achieving positive work from home results.

With the continued development of these skills, you can successfully work from home.