4 Years of Working Remotely: What I Learned

Do you feel like working remotely? Wait till you read this.

Recently, I’ve shared advantages of working remotely: Top 5 Reasons To Start Working Remotely Right Now. And I was kinda quiet about the cons of being a “digital nomad”.

Here it comes. If you have already started looking for a remote job after the previous article, you will not like the following article.

Disclaimer:

Here I’ve highlighted very common cons of remote jobs, but all these highly depend on a company where you work.

Also, despite these pain points, I appreciate working remotely. I see it as a way to a great future. So, before reading the text below, please check out this article first. I truly believe you don’t need a special mindset for working remotely, and this is actually a great fit for any person.

You Pay for Everything

Do you want to upgrade your workstation? Do you want to work from a co-working office? Sure! But you’re paying for it.

The problem is your contract. Normally, the compensation part of it has the month or hour rate only. That’s it, other than that is not the company concern.

However, I should mention that there are great companies that actually compensate much more than just your work hours. There are cases when companies even pay for your workstation. Indeed, but keep in mind they are not easy to find, and it is NOT possible at all when you’re a freelancer.

Your Company Pays You Less

Have you ever wondered what’s the number 1 reason why a company goes fully remote? They can save some cash on remote contractors.

The income situation is same everywhere: jobs located in big cities are paid better same kind of job in small towns.

Now, let’s imagine that a person in a big city gets paid virtual $1000 (or V$1000), whereas a person in towns gets V$200-V$500. Therefore, companies may easily offer V$800 which are freaking awesome for towns, and it may be okay for a few people from big cities.

In these conditions, there are much more candidates to choose from. In the case where a company goes globally remote, the number of potential talents to hire is insane. Aaaand, they may pay less at the same time.

Keep in mind this aspect when negotiating your compensation. Research the average salaries in the company’s city, and do not stop at the average V$800.

Forget about Relocation

As I mentioned previously, one of the reasons why you’re working remotely — your company wants to save some money by hiring people from areas where salaries are lower than at the city where the company is located.

Therefore, the company does not want you to relocate, because if you do, all of the sudden, you might become more expensive.

Well, to be precise, the company won’t relocate you. Though, there is a hack, you do not actually need any sponsorship company to get a visa and be able to relocate. You actually have a lot of freedom in terms of relocation on your own. However, I won’t be mentioning it here, because I’d like to make a small research on that, and it’s going to be a special content available for mailing list subscribers only. Sign up now to get it:

Also, don’t miss the next helpful article, I wish I knew this kind of stuff a while ago, so… Join the list!

You’re the Least Productive Person

When I just started working from home, one of the first things that had been bothering me for about 3 years is the feeling that I work too little. I had been thinking that everyone on the team works more hours per day and gets much more work done than me. Surely, it was not true at all.

Though, I had never had such a buzzing thought in my head before the remote job. Well, at the office your colleagues always see you working, and you know they see it, so you don’t have any worries about your productivity: you’re doing your best and you’re sure everyone around realizes that. At a remote job, you have to prove your work by some outcome.

The only way to overcome this annoying feeling is to simply track how many hours you actually work, and you should definitely have something accomplished during the workday (or at least you should be ready to explain in details how you spend your day). After the first 2 years I’ve crafted a rule: aim to 8 hours per day, but also be satisfied by the number of tasks you do. Important note: you should always keep in mind the things that you’ve done because otherwise you won’t be able to adequately judge yourself and the buzzing thought will make you feel like you’ve done nothing today.

By the way, the best tracking system for my work hours is… my wife. She always knows when I start, my lunch/coffee breaks and when I should stop working. And I’m not even sarcastic, that’s for real.

Are You Online? Gotcha!

Imagine, you have finished a work day. You might even have watched a TV show, read a book, ready to fall asleep… DING!

Yup, that is an app notification, you forgot to close the chat app, you are online, and someone asks you a “real quick” question.

You cannot ignore that, because the person already saw you online, so if you just go offline immediately after getting the message, that’s rude. Moreover, it’s not professional, especially in the case of emergency.

Don’t forget to close the app to show that you’re done for today!

The Big Brother Is Watching You

This is the scariest part. There a plenty of companies that require you to install a malware that is literally watching you all day long. It makes screenshots, shoots photos on your webcam, tracks your keyboard and mouse activity, etc.

Maybe I’m paranoid, but I won’t be able to work in such conditions. I’d recommend staying away from such companies at all costs. Just do not encourage them to do this insane webcam thing. And that’s not the only reason. Do you want to know which companies I’m talking about, and why you should avoid them? Subscribe to the mailing list (below this article), because I do not want to say the names publicly here, but I’ll definitely mention the “no-no” companies in the mailing list.

Tiny Job Market

Do you know what’s the easiest way to blow off an HR person? Just tell that you’re interested in remote positions only. For the last 4–5 years, I’ve been receiving tons of requests from HRs, but only a few had remote jobs to offer.

If you try to search for remote jobs right now, you’ll be upset. It’s possible to get yourself into freelancing. However, it’s very hard to find a really good stable remote job with a fixed hour/month rate. I’ve been watching which jobs the market offers for the last 4 years, but I have seen just a few that are worth my attention.

Thus, be aware of that, because if there is a chance of losing your remote job (for example, while traveling around the world), you will have the hard time finding another good remote job opportunity.

No Paid Leave or/and Sick Days

Frankly, this falls to the “You pay for everything” section as well. However, I did not have a clue that people work like that, so it’s worth mentioning separately.

If you’re a contractor, there is an 80% chance that you won’t be paid at all during your vacation or sick days. There are a few companies offering paid leave days, but I don’t know any company that pays you during sick days at remote positions.

What’s Next?

As I mentioned in the disclaimer, despite everything, the pros overweigh the cons. The remote job gives you such freedom that you’ve never thought about.

Now, if you really want to get a remote job, you better sign up for the mailing list at the bottom of the article. I have lots of tips and tricks on this topic, that I will share with my dear subscribers. For example, such topics as “How to relocate almost anywhere while working remotely as a contractor”, “How to choose a company to work remotely at”, “Where you should search for the remote jobs”, etc. It is unique content, that I wanted and needed to know years ago, don’t miss it!

Also, I will share much more on remote topics here, so don’t forget to follow me. Next time we will probably talk about advantages companies get when going fully remote.

Comments, likes, and shares are highly appreciated. Cheers! ❤️