In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, Brandon Laws sits down with Jill Duffy — author, speaker, and thought leader on organization and productivity in the workplace. The two discuss Jill’s book, The Everything Guide to Remote Work, including interview ‘must-knows,’ challenges, and benefits for successfully navigating a remote position.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Jill Duffy is a writer and contributor for PCMag, an accomplished speaker, and the author of The Everything Guide to Remote Work. She is passionate about providing her readers with tools and techniques for getting organized and being productive on the job.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
DEFINING REMOTE WORK
“One of the things I say early on is that there’s no one thing that is ‘remote work.’
If you’re the only person who works remotely with a team of people who work in a central location, that counts. If everybody in an organization works remotely, that counts. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, work from home, and don’t have a dedicated office space, that counts. People like accountants and writers and journalists and musicians have all been working more or less remotely — in the sense that they’re not working from a central location with other people — for centuries.”
Since the term ‘remote work’ can apply to so many people in such diverse situations, we shouldn’t be surprised when an opportunity to ‘go remote’ knocks on our proverbial door. And according to Jill Duffy, our success in a remote or hybrid scenario hinges upon our willingness to make some changes in the way we approach our work.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Remote Work Means Greater Autonomy
“You are left to work however you want, when you want, and where you want to a much, much greater degree. For some people, it’s a hundred percent autonomous, and for others, there may be more restrictions, but generally speaking, you have a little bit more autonomy. We know from a lot of research that the more autonomy workers have, the more likely they are to be productive and have loyalty to the organization they work for. So that’s a benefit, not just for the worker, but really for the employer too.”
The Challenges of Remote Work
“For some people, it’s very hard to balance. People who are extroverted have a very hard time when they’re themselves. […] Maybe you have kids in the house, maybe you have a partner or roommates or other people around you, but there still tends to be a feeling of isolation for certain types of people. Also, I would say there are a lot of people who like the rhythm of a daily routine and commuting. They find that commuting gives them the ability to ramp up and get ready for work. […] You’d even if it’s a short commute to readjust and get back into a different mindset. And those people tend to have a hard time figuring out how to create boundaries at home that help them meet the same needs.”
A Popular Benefit
“The benefits coming out of remote companies are huge. A lot of them have gravitated toward an unlimited paid-time-off policy, which means that instead of having a set number of vacation days that you earn or accrue as your time goes on, you can take the time off that you need as long as your manager approves it.”
“The problem with unlimited paid time off is sometimes the culture of the company doesn’t actually support it, so people tend to take less vacation than they should. So, in a remote job interview, ask how many days on-average people tend to take off, especially if it’s an unlimited, paid time off policy. And find out if it’s a culture where people are really supported in taking that time off.”
Overcommunication is Key
“When you’re working remotely, you don’t have all of those other interpersonal moments where you remind people you’re going to be on vacation or they look over and they see that your chair is empty because you’re out to lunch. So remote teams have to tell each other what they’re doing, how they’re working, or where information is located multiple times. You’re going to find yourself repeating yourself, […] because people won’t see the information the first time around. They may not have heard you, or they might have forgotten.”
Missing the Signals
“When you’re at your desk, in your home, or in a co-working space, it’s easy to miss signals, so you need people to tell you, and you should do the same thing. If your job is going well, tell your manager, ‘Hey, just wanted to let you know things are going really well right now. I feel like I really understood my tests. I think I did this assignment really well. This project came out great. Tell your colleagues, your coworkers, ‘Hey, I noticed you had a great comment in the meeting the other day. That was really insightful.’ They’re not going to see you smiling during the meeting. They’re not going to get that other information, so you really have to over-communicate, and it takes time to develop that skill.”
Making the Shift to Remote
“The best thing you can do as an employee is have a very clear job description. You should know what it is you’re there to do. […] And sometimes your employer can have inflated expectations of what a normal person can do in a normal amount of hours. And if your manager doesn’t give you a list of expectations, write your own job description. Come up with your own goals and say, ‘this is what I think is reasonable for me’ or ‘this is what I think is ambitious for me, and I’m going to do my best to achieve it.’”
LEARN MORE
Grab a copy of Jill Duffy’s book, The Everything Guide to Remote Work, connect with Jill on Twitter @jilleduffy, or check out some of her latest articles at pcmag.com.