Working from home is great, right? You don’t have to worry about daily commute, you can curl up in your pyjamas and spend more time with your loved ones.
But with this extended work from home amid the pandemic, it is natural to wonder if remote work is hindering your career. To be more specific, if it’s proving to be an obstacle to your promotion because you’ve lost visibility that came with being in office.
If you want that promotion, you will need to make some noise and get noticed. Here’s how:
1. Keep your boss updated on your accomplishments.
Sharon Clarke, Professor of Organisational Psychology at Alliance Manchester Business School, says that it is important for home workers to highlight their successes.
So, do not hesitate to tell your boss about your accomplishments on chats and calls.
2. Take up new responsibilites.
Working from home is not the same as working from office. It does bring some behavioural changes in both, employers and employees. So, avoid that lax attitude and raise your hands whenever there’s a new project coming up.
3. Perfect the art of sending emails.
Emails being the only major means of communication while working remotely, need to be held in high regard. Do not write just to the point. Instead show that you care about work in a subtle way.
4. Be polite and a little flattering.
When you are not present in person, you have to give special attention so as to sound polite and a little flattering.
5. Always ask for what you want.
Oprah Winfrey once said: “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”
So, yeah if you feel you’ve done great work, ask for the promotion.
6. Be in regular contact with your boss, if possible.
I know this might sound a bit tedious to many, but keep that communication going so that you can talk about your work and get it noticed. Also, the phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind’ makes so much sense while working remotely.
7. Do not delay putting forward new ideas.
Just because you are working from home, you shouldn’t be dormant. Be active and participate in the ideation meetings and put forth your ideas.
8. Ensure that you have your annual assessment.
Assessments sure are a way to put your accomplishments forward. You should make sure that your work is assessed formally so that it comes to the notice of the higher management too.
9. Be in touch with some of your colleagues too.
Don’t feel this is a huge task. It’s just like stopping by a colleague’s desk to say hello. Every call doesn’t need to have an agenda, just drop in and have a positive conversation.
10. Align yourselves with the company’s goals.
These are unpredictable times for everyone. Companies are changing their strategies and you too need to be flexible enough to change yours.
11. Take up extra work, if possible.
Organisations are working extra to keep up their revenues. You may be asked to work extra even after office hours. While doing that on a daily basis is not what we suggest, you should not shy away from taking up extra responsibilities, whenever possible.
12. Don’t just complain. Offer solutions, too.
When you talk about existing problems on the work front, you should offer solutions, too. This will make your boss feel like you are interested in work.
Working remotely is surely different compared to working from office. But these tips can help you get your work noticed and stand out.