Challenges of a Remote Worker

By JenMarie

For many people the idea of working from home would be a dream come true. For others the isolation and need for self motivation would be too much to bear. Over the last eight years I have had the option of working from home occasionally, but a little over a year ago I changed jobs and now work from home full time. Overall, I would not change it but I have encountered some challenges I was not prepared for.

The biggest challenge I face as a remote worker is knowing when to quit. I find myself turning on the computer within minutes of waking and am often still working long into the evening. It is so easy to just log on to check email quickly and end up working for an hour or more. Of course when the children arrive home each day the computer gets turned off but within minutes of getting both into bed it goes right back on.

Another big challenge for me is contacting people. Thankfully, my company has about 40% remote workers, but that still leaves about 60% at our home office. Many times I need to speak to someone urgently and am unable to locate them, after trying office phone, cell phone and instant messenger. I find it very flustering to have to wait for someone to make time to get back to me instead of being able to physically track them down and get the information I need.

A challenge I did not plan for is my exposure (or lack thereof) to management. I do not have the ability to form those day to day non-work relationships with others in the office. Not sitting the office means it is easy to forget about me when new opportunities arise. I find I work twice as hard keeping myself visible to upper management. It is a constant challenge to find ways to keep my name out there.

Despite the challenges, I would not want to go back to working in an office full time. Working from home gives me the opportunity to use new remote working technologies such as video and web conferences. Even though I tend to work longer hours, by being at home the entire time I can break for a few minutes at a time to do things around here. The best part for me is the elimination of constant interruptions and distractions by others. I find I am much more productive at home than I ever was in the office. Yes, the isolation takes some getting used to, but it’s worth the trade off for me.

Any other working mom’s out there in this remote employee’s boat? What are your biggest challenges?

JenMarie is a "Work It" contributing writer. Read more about her.