Top Mistakes Made By Remote Workers

Set a boundary between your workspace and your relaxing space

After the Covid-19 pandemic, more people had to become remote workers, a new experience for most. Working from home comes with challenges, and the following are some of the top mistakes made by remote workers:

1.  Working from bed or couch
2.  Lack of alignment
3.  Inefficient communication
4.  Meeting fatigue
5.  Working all the time

Working from Bed or Couch

When working from home, you need to have a dedicated workspace that is not your bed or couch. Having a workspace allows you to keep your work materials close and in good order.

When you work from bed, there'll always be the temptation to take a nap. You can also feel too comfortable and divert attention to social media instead of working. Be sure to set a boundary between your workspace and your relaxing space.

Lack of Alignment

Lack of team alignment when working from home is a real issue. When people are not meeting physically, it becomes even harder to communicate team goals. When you lack clarity of purpose, you cannot prioritize work. Lack of clarity leads to:
 

• Confusion on priorities and where you need to focus your efforts
• Lack of motivation
• Difficulty working with your team members.

Inefficient Communication

Communication comprises the words you speak, your tone of voice, and body language. It is difficult for people to pick up on body language, especially on phone calls, and can be limited by video transmission when working remotely.

When engaging with teammates remotely, you need to ensure you work extra hard to monitor your tone and words for people to understand you. If you agree or disagree on something, make your voice heard. Do not assume others will tell from your non-verbal cues.

Meeting Fatigue

When you work online, it's easy to get meeting fatigue. Long back-to-back meetings become monotonous, especially if the rest of the group is in one space and you are at home. It makes you tired and reduces your concentration span.

Ensure you do not get into long and winding meetings. The shorter the meetings, the better for all involved. Our attention span, especially video conferencing, starts to fade after some time.

Working All the Time

Working 24/7 is not suitable for your physical, mental, and emotional health. Most remote workers are always online and worry that others will assume they are not working if they are not. 

Take breaks while working from home. Browse social media during your breaks and have lunch away from your desk to prevent burnout. A short walk outside can also help you feel relaxed.

Mike Yeomans is the Senior Digital Strategist for BlueJeans, where he is responsible for enhancing the customer-facing web/digital experience, ensuring the company is at the forefront of and leveraging the latest technologies and strategies including search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience (UX). Connect Mike Yeomans