Although there has been a continuing push to get people to come back to the office to work, remote work is still an important part of businesses and many people still insist on remote work as part of their career. Remote work has been highly beneficial for many people – it often improves productivity, it levels the playing field for people with disabilities and it can help a company save money since they won’t need as much space or equipment. For the remote worker, it’s often nice to not be constantly embroiled in office politics, chit-chat, meetings and other distractions.
However, remote workers stand the very real risk of being overlooked or outright forgotten. Sometimes this is comforting – many people really don’t want to be regularly talking to their coworkers, managers or bosses. But when it comes to promotions, raises, new projects and new responsibilities, being invisible definitely makes it hard to get anywhere. So how can you improve your visibility at work without losing your mind?
Be More Present
It’s nice to think about never turning on your camera or having to go into the office, but abandoning these things outright will leave you feeling isolated and cut off from what’s happening at your workplace.
Improving visibility here is easy: turn on the camera sometimes and if possible, drop in and show your face at the office! Take part in meetings by being visible and then have some face-time at your workplace’s physical location, even if it’s not to work on anything, but just to say hi and check in.
It’s also important to speak up more at your meetings. Answer questions and concerns, ask questions, give updates and congratulate others on their success. Make sure you have a good microphone and speak clearly so that you don’t have to repeat yourself. And make sure to double check that you aren’t on mute.
Be Involved
I can hear you: But one of the joys of working remotely is that I don’t have to take part in happy hours or volunteer for events.
But you’re missing out on a chance to socialize, remind people of who you are and how you contribute, and get a feel for where the company is going. It also reminds people of who you are when you aren’t working which can promote social connections and networking.
Be Social
There is an awful lot of nuance between never speaking a word to anyone and taking up everyone’s time with random chit-chat. There is where you can live. It can be as easy as sending out friendly emails every so often, posting fun pictures in the chats, or being an comforting ear for someone who is struggling.
Be Available
And really, if you are working on your own, you should be able to answer messages or emails in a timely fashion. Making sure you take the time daily to answer questions, concerns, and ideas can really boost your visibility and let you take a bit of a break from your work in a productive fashion. It also gives you a good idea of where problems might be occurring at work that you might be in a position to help solve.
Working remotely may be great if you like working alone and in the quiet, but it’s easy to become completely invisible to your bosses and that greatly stunts your ability to move forward in your career. Make your presence known every so often and keep building those networks!
