10 Mistakes Remote Workers Are Making

Working from home can have some great benefits from flexibility, and greater productivity to increased leisure time due to less traveling, but like everything, it should be done in moderation. Hence the growing popularity of hybrid working, which technically is nothing new. I have over a decade’s worth of experience in working and even learning in this way. The traditional time stamp working day is changing and we now have the potential to hire from a global pool of talent rather than seeking local employees. The problem is not everyone is used to or in the right mindset for working from home.

Let’s take a closer look at the most common mistakes made by people who work from home so that you can establish better working habits that will enable you to reach your full potential...

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The 10 mistakes remote workers make

1. Not setting and sticking to a daily routine!

Having an established task-based and goal-oriented routine will help keep you on track with your work. Starting and ending work at a similar time every day and setting boundaries is vital not just to productivity, but to your wellbeing too. The commute to and from work had a real benefit it gave you time to switch between working and home mode. That leads on to the next point — when working from home you need to set some boundaries. This will allow you to switch off not just technology, but also the work mindset. Even if after you finish you go for a walk or spend 5–10 minutes on some reflective practice.

2. Failure to set work-based boundaries

We looked at in point 1 the importance of building boundaries into the routine, but what about setting wider boundaries. During the working day, I tape my family and pets to the wall to stop them from distracting — I’m joking I don’t do that 😉. However, when setting boundaries set them with family members or housemates too. Ensure pets and family members are outside of your office space, although this isn’t always possible. If you are in a meeting and you are expecting distractions pre-warn the host and even the delegates. Although I have to admit seeing pets is always a highlight of Zoom calls.

3. Not having a designated workspace

Having a dedicated workspace is vital and ensuring it is set up with the appropriate equipment to suit your needs. The sofa or bed may seem convenient, but is unprofessional and not good for your physical health, especially your back. This space should be entirely dedicated to your work area.

4. Working in a cold, dark environment

Unless you are a vampire, ensure your workspace is located in an area that has some natural sunlight. If you are working in a dark space use a desk lamp that will help reduce eyestrain and change the colour intensity of your screen to minimise headaches. It’s not just lighting, but ensuring the temperature of the room and comfort.

5. Not moving around enough or taking regular screen breaks

Those annoying distractions you find in the workplace with people wanting to talk to you! Well actually they are beneficial and it’s giving you a natural break from the screen. when flying solo it’s easier for time to pass you by and before you know it you have to spend several hours glued to the screen. Remember to take regular screen breaks of about 5–10 minutes every hour or so. This isn’t always easy to do if the meeting you are in lasts 2 hours, although a 2-hour Zoom meeting isn’t practical — more on that in a future article. Inactivity creates pressure on your spinal cord and means that the blood isn’t circulating around your body properly. Your shoulders can become hunched and common problems include lower back and shoulder pain and write and elbow pain. Remember to stretch every hour or so and stand from the desk for a bit.

6. Underestimating the power of mindset

Even for some of us introverts working solo can sometimes feel a little isolating, but this is the benefit of hybrid working as you also have days where you work from the office or shared location and can see real people and build real rapport with others. When working from home it is all about mindset. The fear of missing out can actually cause staff great distress so ensuring personal responsibility to reach out and connect, along with the ability to motivate yourself and acknowledge any achievements or weekly wins.

On another note, people see life through their own experiences. Don’t let the way you work influence how people judge the quality of what you produce. Some of us are better able to work from home than others. We now have the technology to work from anywhere and the ability to produce output regardless of where we are working from. We are now (and finally)in the digital era, but as excited as I am about this, not everyone will be comfortable with the transition. To those, it’s important to support them be kind and not to allow their anxieties and fears to bring you down.

7. Failing to maintain a professional online image

Regardless of working from home or not, I put on my work clothes and this in itself helps me to mentally transition into work mode. Plus if you get a sudden video call on Teams or Zoom you are ready for it. When in meetings it’s important to think about what is in your background and ensure that no confidential information is lurking. Every morning as part of your home working routine takes a few minutes to set up and check your equipment and background. The focus should be on work and not the pile of dishes behind you. If in doubt just blur or change the background behind you.

Offices tend to have workplace protocols that everyone has to follow from clear desk policy to social media and GDPR. When working from home, however, the comfortable atmosphere, the ease of multitasking, and the lack of supervision can lead to borderline unprofessional practices. Ensure you continue to adhere to the organisational policy.

8. Compensating working from home by overworking

When the world first when into lockdown a lot of managers new to homeworking was worried about how this would impact productivity, but as it turned out employees actually had the tendency to overwork to justify being at home and this was followed by a surge of burnout and Zoom fatigue became a thing. As people booked back-to-back meetings without any breaks!

The funny thing is stepping away from the workspace after completing tasks not only benefits mental and physical wellbeing, but can also be more productive. Especially in terms of report writing and email. sometimes you read what you think you see. Taking a break means you return with fresh eyes and a renewed focus and are more likely to find those pesky typos — which for me as a dyslexic is normally a lot!

9. Failing to keep up-to-date or learn new skills

Keeping skills up-to-date is now easier than ever. I remember traveling all the way to London for a 2-hour course, which was great, but now I can do similar courses online without the long commute meaning I have time to put newfound learning into practice! On another note sharing best practice about remote working could be done over coffee and face to face. as we move into the digital era it’s important to learn new skills and keep our knowledge fresh and current and technology updates so quickly.

10. Forgetting to enjoy the great flexibility and extra family time

Gone are the micro-managing days where schedules were set for you now you have the power to build schedules that not only work for you but are tailored to suit your needs. Meaning more than other the digital age is one of inclusion and greater diversity. Spend lunch with your family or pets, go for that run, bike ride, or to the gym without the need to worry about being the sweaty smelly employee returning to the office. Remember not everyone has the discipline, motivation, stamina, and experience to work independently; if you are able to do this then you are set for the new era, welcome.

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In Conclusion

Although working from home has many benefits, from greater flexibility to reduced travel costs it's still important to connect face-to-face with staff. In addition, when working from home it's important to set boundaries with yourself to reduce burnout.

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