How To Stay Top Of Mind When You’re Out Of Sight

Here are tips to stand out on the days when you are an office of one.

Originally Published Feb. 19, 2014.

Millennials crave workplace flexibility now more than ever—especially when this flexible option involves waking up in the morning, walking to the living room, booting up a laptop and working from home once or twice during the week in pajamas.

However, for young professionals who are fresh in their career, working from home can be challenging when you are not directly in front of your boss everyday. Here’s how to stand out on the days you are an office of one.

Over communicate

As a former serial telecommuter for almost two years, I can say that managers love when you go to them before they come to you. This simply means if you and your boss have discussed the details of a project you are working on, you don’t want to wait until they check in on you. Provide quick updates via email throughout the day to let them know the status on timing for project completion or any challenges you are encountering. They will appreciate it.

Contribute ideas during phone meetings

While your face may not be visible, try not to let your voice go unheard, too. If you have a great idea, throw it out there and get comfortable with being an integral member of the team even through the phone. Position yourself as someone your colleagues can always rely on for creative suggestions or possible resolutions to challenges.

Volunteer for projects outside of your normal tasks

You may experience some downtime in between big projects and deadlines while working from home and that’s OK. This is the perfect time to check in with your team and find out if there is an opportunity to work on something new that you’ve never done before. Utilize these opportunities to enhance your skill-set and stretch your brain.

Request occasional face time

Thanks to Skype, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime, telecommuters still have the opportunity to personalize interaction with their boss and other team members through video conferencing technology. Sometimes, it’s best to have a visual connection when you start experiencing the cabin fever that usually strikes during the last few hours of the workday. Quick video meetings are perfect for end of the day wrap-ups and discussing the next day’s agenda.