How to Prepare and Work as a Remote Employee for Designers
Covid-19 isn’t treating anyone nicely. A lot of things have been happening, and economies are hitting low regardless of the country’s growth. Apart from worries about the economy, now the time has come to focus more on healthcare rather than the economy. This is why people across the world have been asked to work from home. Working from home (WFH) isn’t a big deal for freelancers because they have been doing it, and that’s how they work. But what about the ones who have been working in offices and following corporate jobs? They might find this hard, and WFH might even take a toll on them. Therefore, we decided to help designers to prepare and work as a remote employee.
Why should you consider remote working?
As you already know, outbreaks such as Covid-19 will not let you avoid remote working, so it is something you need to accept even if you like it or not. But to see the brighter side, you need to find the goodness in working as a remote employee, and that’s precisely what we are going to mention. The following points might motivate you during this period, so keep reading.
Increase in job opportunities
If you do a quick search, you will realize that for designers, corporate jobs are pretty limited.
But on the other hand, if you check the remote jobs for designers, you might be surprised to know that the opportunities extend. You will encounter that companies open their hands beyond geographical regions; this is an excellent call for the remote employees. You will not be bound to one company or company in your country. Instead, you can extend the opportunities beyond the geographic regions.
Here are a few job websites, that offer remote jobs.
Flexible working hours
This is one of the prominent reasons for working as a remote employee. You get to select the working hours, so it becomes flexible as long as you meet the deadlines and complete the projects assigned. This will save the commuting hours that you otherwise have to spend on the road. This is an appealing reason, which is why most designers quit corporate jobs and opt for remote jobs.
Moreover, if you can manage work, you will be able to take more projects from other companies to double your income.
Excellent level of focus
This might come as a shock for corporate workers, but it’s the truth. If you just think about the way you spend time in your office, you will realize how you lose your focus. Sometimes, you might spend time chatting with your colleagues or socializing; these things would have killed your focus. Only when you work as a remote worker, in a separate workspace with zero distraction, you will realize the level of focus you were missing out. Most corporate workers had realized this only when they opted for remote working. Hence, once you become a remote worker, you will eventually become a productive person.
Ability to become creative
When you are in an office and under your managers, the things you do would be handled and monitored. Of course, it is good, but at times, it kills the level of creativity when you are confined to certain rules. Especially if you are a designer, the chances are high. So, when you become a remote worker, you get the freedom to become more creative. You are not monitored, and that makes you relax and focus more on doing better. This might not be the case if the person lacks self-discipline. But if you lack self-discipline, it is important to work on disciplining one’s self.
Become good at problem-solving
When you become a remote worker, you wouldn’t depend on your employer to help you solve the problems for you. Over time, you will develop the skill to solve your problem on your own. This will help you perform better even when you have fewer resources to seek help from.
These reasons are great, but nothing comes that easy. You will have to deal with challenges, too. So now, let’s discuss the challenges that you will face as a remote worker.
What are the challenges faced by remote employees?
What are the challenges faced by remote employees?PIN IT
Although you can enjoy all the benefits above, there are certain challenges that you need to handle as a designer who’s working remotely. Let’s talk about those now:
Workspace is great but doesn’t let it consume you
There are chances that remote workers tend to avoid social interaction wholly. In a time like this, it’s great but not when things are back to normal (option 1). The remote employees need to make sure that they spend enough time with people without being glued to their workspace. This is a tough challenge for introverts. They normally have to make an extra effort to engage with people. So if introverts become remote workers, things get worse. This is when the challenge becomes more laborious. Therefore, you need to make sure that the workspace and remote working experience don’t consume you.
Flexibility isn’t always a pro factor
All the companies will have meetings, and as designers, you might have to take part in the meetings. So, if your company is based in a different location and if the time zones differ, you might have to attend the meeting in absurd hours. However, you have to lose a few things to achieve better in work life. Even though flexibility is a pro factor in remote work, it is also a challenge.
Changes in communication
The way you interacted with your team when it was a corporate job will be different from how you interact with your team as a remote employee. Instead of daily interactions, there will be more emails, Skype calls, and text messages. Sometimes, you might have to chat with your team members on Slack late at night if the need arises. This kind of thing will be different, but with time, you will adopt it.
Self-care needs extra attention
If you are a corporate employee, you might spend time taking of yourself during the weekends. But this is not the case with remote workers. Most of the remote employees don’t treat the weekends as such because they spend all seven days similarly. They don’t have to go to the office so they can work in their PJs (not recommended because outfit plays a huge role in productivity). Therefore, they will hardly spend time on self-care; this is why you need to make an extra effort when you become a remote employee. You should have a routine that makes you care more about your health and body. This is one of the toughest challenges.
While you take steps to overcome the challenges, you need to think of the tips to become better at remote working. Hence, read on.
What are the tips to become a successful remote employee?
What are the tips to become a successful remote employee?PIN IT
With the above details in mind, you can now check the tips to become better at the transition you are going to make.
Arrange a proper workspace
This is one of the integral points for designers who are working remotely. You will not be able to do justice to your work if you don’t have a workspace. You might argue that you will work despite the distractions, but that will not happen. And your creative ideas will not get the chance to grow when you are distracted on and off. So you should arrange a workspace at home, or you can consider co-working spaces. Despite your selection, you need to make sure that space will increase the level of productivity.
If you need inspiration on setting up your workspace then search with #workspacestyling on Instagram. You will surely find something you like.
Let the clients know your availability
It is essential to communicate your availability beforehand. Of course, you have a flexible schedule, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore the importance of availability. Discussing the availability beforehand shows your professionalism. If you have a team, it is essential to let the team know about your working hours. Above all, communicating your availability will avoid a lot of problems. It will also set apart your work and personal life.
Maintain a consistent routine
If you don’t have a routine, you are not going to become successful in remote work. One of the important parts of remote work is routine. Without a routine, you will not be able to meet deadlines or be productive. You need to set a certain time to go to the gym or to exercise at home, to eat, to spend time reading a book or even talking to your friend. Make sure to have a consistent routine when your work life becomes flexible.
Widen your network
Of course, you might already be tied to a company, but that shouldn’t make you stay away from better opportunities. Or you might be able to find more jobs to do along with your existing job. However, you should make an effort to talk to your team and other people so that you can reach better opportunities.
Don’t get hard on yourself
It is not going to be fun all the time because there will be difficulties. You might end up not meeting a deadline, or you might not understand what the client is expressing. Designing isn’t easy because you need to grasp your client’s idea through a message or two. Therefore, it will not be simple. Don’t get hard on yourself when things become tough. You have just started remote working, so you need time to adjust. Be kind to yourself until you master remote work.
Take-through
You might assume that it’s a risky leap you are going to make, well, yes, this can be true. But if you don’t take the risk, you will never understand your capacity. You will not realize the incredible chances and opportunities around you. Therefore, use our insights to make your remote working experience a better and successful one!
Originally published at https://designxplorer.co on March 14, 2020.
