How to Show Your Value as an Off-Site Worker

Off-site workers often enjoy a great deal of flexibility, but the freedom comes with drawbacks. Without an in-person presence, it can be difficult for your supervisor to assess your contributions accurately. By finding ways to demonstrate your value, you can reinforce your standing in the company and establish yourself as a crucial asset.

Maintain Regular Communication

One of the biggest challenges for managers of off-site workers is the lack of oversight. In an office, a manager can keep an eye on workers and ensure they are staying productive. When you are working from home, your boss cannot see if you are wasting time on Facebook or watching TV while you work. Provide constant reassurance by staying in contact throughout the day. Send an email when you complete a task or ask a specific question to let your boss know that you are deeply involved in a project. Log in regularly to the company VPN to access files. Call in via video conferencing to every meeting. Participate in employee instant message sessions and copy your boss on emails to colleagues or clients. Each message serves as a reminder of your work ethic and productivity. When it comes time for a performance evaluation, you have an established digital paper trail of your work history.

Show Teamwork

Off-site workers often miss out on opportunities to work as a team, largely because they are not on hand to offer suggestions and assistance. Show your value by integrating yourself into the team whenever possible. If a colleague mentions a challenge in an email or meeting, offer to help. Volunteer yourself for projects that require collaboration. Let the team know about your past experience and areas of expertise and invite the team members to call on you for help. Although teamwork can be more difficult for off-site workers, it is worth the extra time and effort.

Create Relationships

For on-site workers, relationships with co-workers develop naturally over time. Regular in-person interactions and casual conversations help colleagues identify commonalities and form bonds. Off-site workers are rarely privy to these informal interactions because their contact with the team is generally limited to work-related communication. Relationships are crucial in business, so it is crucial that you make a special effort to bond with your colleagues. Call in early to conference calls so you can chat with the other early attendees. Make a point to use one-on-one video calls as often as possible; the face time can help establish you as a whole person rather than a voice on the other end of the phone. By building stronger relationships, you demonstrate your ability to work effectively in a dispersed team. In an increasingly digital world, this skill is crucial and highly desired by managers.

Off-site workers must often spend more time proving their value than on-site workers. In doing so, however, you can create a positive reputation and make it easier for your supervisors when performance evaluation time rolls around. Over time, your efforts can lead to job security and advancement within the company.

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