The characteristics of successful remote workers

Remote working is a common way to work. While not every person will work remotely during their career, white-collar professionals likely will at some point or another. That's why the makeup of an effective remote worker is something that matters a lot -- to both employers and career-minded individuals. Here are some of the classic characteristics of a successful remote worker.

Self-Directed

Being a remote worker doesn't mean complete autonomy, to be sure. Yet it's certainly true that people who lack initiative and self-discipline will probably struggle when working remotely. Remote workers need to be able to stay on task effectively even with no one looking over their shoulders. Away from the office, employees who aren't self-directed are likely to waste time and get distracted. A chronic lack of focus will ruin productivity.

Willing to Ask for Help

The flip side of the importance of being self-directed when working remotely is the importance of being proactive about getting help. It's tougher for managers and colleagues to know if an employee is struggling if they are off-site, where communication is limited and the subtleties of body language are lost. Employees who aren't good at asking for help may fall behind and never catch up again. Even a willingness to ask embarrassing questions is crucial.

Assertive

Being assertive is important for some of the same reasons being willing to ask for help is important. Remote workers who are too retiring can get lost in the shuffle when the entire team is not in the office. Employees working remotely need to stand up for themselves -- both to ensure they are not left out of important decision-making processes and to guarantee they get the credit they deserve. Being assertive doesn't mean being rude or demanding. It simply means asking for respect that is due.

Good at Communicating

Remote work disrupts the normal methods of communication that were the standard for the business world for decades. As valuable as videoconferencing programs like Zoom are, they can still make effective communication more challenging. Body language and other subtle elements of in-person communication cannot be totally replaced. All this means that great communication skills become critical for remote workers -- especially if a portion of the team is working from the office.

Having Integrity

Integrity is always a vital characteristic for employees, to be sure. But when working remotely, it does assume even greater importance. Remote working makes it easier (at least in the short term) to slack off and avoid responsibilities. The temptation to not take work seriously when not in a classic work environment can be strong. This makes employees with a strong moral framework best suited to remote work. There is no replacement for integrity.

Organized

Having strong organizational skills is necessary in a remote work situation for a few reasons. For one, remote work means employees must set up their own workspace. An organized, orderly workspace that effectively balances personal life and the job is key to successful remote work. A well-organized workspace allows for great productivity. In addition, the greater autonomy of remote work makes staying organized more important.


Having an idea of the traits remote workers need for success is valuable for anyone in the business world. For employers, when hiring for a remote position, the utility of knowing the characteristics to look for is obvious. For employees, knowing which characteristics to build on can be of great practical worth in career advancement. Employees can also use the knowledge to assess whether a remote work job is likely to suit them. In general, as remote work is here to stay, it's important to understand its ins and outs.