Successful Telecommuting:

5 Tips to Make It Work

Accounting is noted as an occupation well-suited for telecommuting. Most employees can name countless benefits of telecommuting while some employers are a bit more leery of this alternative approach to employment. But when the right employees are chosen to telecommute, businesses can also enjoy many telecommuting perks: increased productivity, happier and healthier employees, and lower building costs. In order to make a positive impression on your boss, and to make telecommuting work for you, here are five success tips:

1. Know your own strengths and weaknesses
It’s important to recognize that self-disciplined, proactive employees make the best telecommuters. If you need micromanagement or lots of social interaction to be productive, than telecommuting may not be the best approach for you. However, if you can identify your weaknesses and develop a strategy to counteract them, you might be able to evolve into a successful telecommuter. Whatever the case may be, serious self-reflection is a must if you’re going to prepare yourself for a positive telecommuting experience.

2. Have the right equipment
Sometimes all you need to telecommute is a laptop and a telephone. But don’t wait until your first day working from home to determine whether or not you have the equipment you need. Make a list long before you start to avoid wasting precious work time. Contact computer support personnel to get authorization to access required networks and/or to learn how to upload and download necessary files. Designate an office space in your home and ensure that you have everything you need (printer, fax machine, filing cabinet, etc.) to be successful. Also ensure that you have the proper internet connection to make your online interactions fast and efficient.

3. Communicate with supervisors and colleagues well and often
Often employers are weary of telecommuting because they assume that once the workplace is out of sight, it will also be out of mind. You need to communicate with supervisors and colleagues well and often in order to let them know you’re on task and moving forward. And if you don’t have good communication skills, you need to get them. Just because you communicate frequently doesn’t mean you communicate effectively. Information should be clear and timely.

4. Set boundaries with family and friends
One of the benefits of telecommuting is the ability to better balance work and family. There’s no doubt that working from home gives you more flexibility in your schedule. But it’s difficult to get any work done if your children think you’re on vacation. Countless interruptions will make you less, not more, productive. In order for telecommuting to work you need to set some ground rules. Ensure that your entire family is on board and willing to respect the boundaries required to make your telecommuting effort successful. On the other hand, you must return the favor by respecting family time; it can be difficult to leave work at the office when that office is in your home.

5. Maintain professionalism
Another benefit of telecommuting is showing up to work in your PJ’s. But if you’re not careful, your work might begin to reflect a lack of professionalism. Regardless of whether or not you power dress at home, your work should be powerful and demonstrate a professionalism that transcends the distance that now exists between you and the workplace.

Telecommuting can provide employees and employers with countless benefits. But in order to find success you must be willing to do what’s required to make it work. Once you do, everyone can be satisfied with the result. And that will go a long way to make telecommuting a more viable approach to employment. Get the skills that make the difference in the workplace. Click Here to find out more.

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