Remote Work Works When You Act “Grown-Up”
Dependable people make good employees, no matter where they’re located.
Last week, I caught up with a colleague who also happens to be my brother’s boss. My brother had been a normal employee until recently when he decided to move to a new city. His employer said they’d try letting him keep his job and work remotely.
I asked his boss “how’s the long-distance relationship going since my brother moved away?” and his reply was simple:
“He’s a grown-up. He works when he says he’s going to, and delivers what he says he will on time. Nothing has changed. It makes no difference where he’s located.”
It struck me just how simple that was, and I realized there’s nothing unique about a good remote employee. The same qualities make a good on-site employee or a good freelancer. They make a good partner or a good person for that matter.
The cliche complaint about remote workers is that you can’t look over their shoulders so you don’t know if they’re working hard enough. You can’t trust they’re giving your job their full attention.
