Essential Skills Needed to Work Remote

Working remotely has its perks: you can often set your own hours and get to work from wherever you want. But working remotely also comes with some challenges. You have to be a self-starter and self-disciplined, and there might not be anyone around to help you when something goes wrong (or right!).

That's why we put together this list of essential skills needed to be successful as a remote worker:

Ability to Work Independently

An employee who is able to work independently is a valuable member of any team. This skill can be applied in many types of work environments, but it’s especially important when working remotely.

In this sense, “independence” means that you know how to set your own schedule and make decisions for yourself. You are comfortable with taking on tasks that don't have someone holding your hand, and you prefer independence over interacting with other people all the time.

Reliable and Secure Equipment

You’ll need reliable, secure equipment for working remotely. Your computer and internet connection should be the best that you can afford. A separate backup drive will make sure your data is safely stored in case something happens to your computer or mobile phone.

Self-Motivation

Self-motivation is super important when you are working remotely. Not having anyone around to check in with can make it easy to forget about tasks, but self-motivation is how you'll continue getting things done. You'll need to be able to motivate yourself so that you are able to complete your work when nobody else is around.

You may have heard the advice: "Do one thing at a time." This is huge for people who work remotely, because it's easy for them not only to get distracted by social media or emails but also not even realize that they're doing other things besides their actual work!

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a crucial skill to master when working remotely. Being able to understand and manage your own emotions, the emotions of others, and the emotions of a team are all vital in order to succeed as a remote worker.

Being able to manage customer emotions too is important for customer support or sales roles. Finally, EI is also crucial for partner interactions when you work with external providers or vendors on projects.

These are some of the top skills needed to be successful as a remote worker.

Whatever your motivation is for working remotely, you'll likely be better prepared for the environment if you are comfortable working on your own, enjoy being in charge of your own schedule, and you're able to effectively communicate with others. The above skills will go a long way in helping you navigate the remote work environment and get the most out of it.

To learn more about how to successfully manage your time and tasks, check out our Time Management or our Task Management class.