Interview Question: How Do You Feel About Working From Home?

So I think I am well qualified to talk about the work from home setup – what works and what doesn’t. Additionally, the research data are derived from a single company and may not be representative of the wider economy, although Gibbs notes that the IT company is one that should be able to optimize remote Project Manager work. People who worked from home spent an average of 35 percent of saved commuting time on their jobs, the researchers find. They devoted the rest to other activities, including household chores, childcare, leisure activities such as watching movies and TV, outdoor exercise, and even second jobs.

Several of my friends and colleagues have led entire careers from home offices. Each of us faces unique challenges working remotely, not only because of our different personalities, but also due to our various lifestyles and the type of work we do. Still, many of the core issues we face as remote workers are the same. It also gives workers the flexibility to get to doctor’s and other healthcare appointments when needed. Yes, the rush to give employees access to all the tools they’d need to work from home was a bit, well, sudden for many employers. But after everyone settled in, what quickly became apparent to many office-based teams is that employees could be productive and focused when not in the office—in many cases, even more so. Employers everywhere began to understand that remote work really works.

Interview Questions You Should Know How to Answer in a Remote Job Interview

Without the constant distractions of an office, I am able to stay focused on my work and complete tasks quickly and effectively. This question is less about learning if you have the skills necessary for the job, and more about learning if you will do well in this particular work setting. When interviewing for employment to work from a home-based office, you will be asked a few questions about why you want to work from home and what you like best about working remotely . While it’s important to remain positive throughout the interview, it’s equally important to be truthful. For example, don’t lie about your remote work experience or say you can work certain hours when, in reality, you’re unavailable. Answering honestly gains the employer’s respect and gives them more reason to rely on you in the future.

Keep in mind that you may not know what another person is going through not only in life, but also in their home work environment. Certainly, you’ll take part in video conferences and conference calls while working remotely.

What do you need in your physical workspace to be successful in your job?

But the biggest change was shifting from office work to remote work. Cultivate a feedback culture that goes both ways—top-down and bottom-up so that both employees and leaders have a chance to give and receive constructive input. That’s why remote managers need to pay special attention to managing and promoting positive remote team dynamics. But ultimately, managing people remotely relies on many of the same leadership principles as in-house management. The main goal is to make sure your remote hires feel welcomed, supported, and included from day one.

• To convince your future boss that you are cut out for remote work, you need to understand exactly WHAT habits and characteristics make you qualified.
• While it may feel like your office space demands too much effort to look nice, the benefits run deeper than just pretty pillows.
• So I think I am well qualified to talk about the work from home setup – what works and what doesn’t.
• In those cases we try to clearly set expectations so they know what they’re getting into if they join us.
• A barking dog or a jackhammer outside your window may disappear with noise-canceling headphones.

That’s a huge cost for companies who have invested time and money to hire and train new recruits. But building a strong onboarding program can help reduce turnover and give remote employees the tools and support they need to do well—and want to stick around. In addition to regular one-on-one meetings and team check-ins, pulse surveys help leaders “get a pulse” of their remote teams to see how things are going. They give people leaders valuable insight into what’s working and what’s not, and help identify gaps or opportunities in performance and engagement initiatives. Of course, meeting these needs and expectations can be tricky when you’re not all gathered in a shared office.

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The benefit of starting your freelance business while still employed is that it reduces the financial strain experienced by any new 17 Senior Network Engineer Interview Questions and Answers CLIMB business. Depending on the nature of your current job, you may start your own freelance business while still being employed.

Fight boredom and loneliness by frequent communication with other employees. Reach out to them through video chat via apps like Zoom and Slack, a hosted phone system, or however else your company communicates. If you share space with another work-from-home adult, you may have to lay ground rules about meeting times, shared desks and chairs, and quiet times.

No commute, and fewer hours worked

Plus, it shows initiative to employers, which is a highly coveted soft skill that can only build your profile. Starting a new job is stressful for most people, even under the best of circumstances. But new hires to an organization might feel overwhelmed if they are going from a traditional office to one primary based at home. Not only How to become a cloud engineer do they have to learn how to perform in their new role, but they must also learn to navigate new technology. As a result, managers may spend more time coaching a new remote employee. Understanding this, companies can build more inclusive and equitable remote work policies that attract and retain top talent from anywhere in the world.

Don’t bury the plans to move everyone back to the office at the bottom of the weekly company memo. Businesses need to tell employees as soon as they’ve decided to return to the office. Be sure employees are aware of the anticipated timeframe and kept informed as milestones are reached. This means leaders need to be extra conscious of how their remote teams are doing and take proactive steps to promote employee wellbeing. Find out what your remote employees want and expect for their future and have honest conversations about how to help them achieve their goals. This includes any organizational charts, company benefits packages, training manuals, contracts, employee handbooks, etc.

Make your answer about them as much as it’s about you

As countries emerge from the pandemic and employers recalibrate, companies could bring back some employees and allow others to work from home. Total hours worked during that time increased by approximately 30 percent, including an 18 percent rise in working beyond normal business hours, the researchers find. At the same time, however, average output—as measured by the company through setting work goals and tracking progress toward them—declined slightly. Time spent on coordination activities and meetings also increased, while uninterrupted work hours shrank. Weighing output against hours worked, the researchers conclude that productivity decreased by about 20 percent. They estimate that, even after accounting for the loss of commuting time, employees worked about a third of an hour per day more than they did at the office. “Of course, that time was spent in productive work instead of sitting in traffic, which is beneficial,” they acknowledge.

Over communicating doesn’t necessarily mean you have to write a five-paragraph essay to explain your every move, but it does mean repeating yourself. Joke about how you must have mentioned your upcoming vacation six times already, then mention it again. I say “morning routine,” but not everyone who works from home follows a nine-to-five schedule.

Lucidspark is a virtual collaboration tool that makes it easy for teams to communicate and brainstorm in real-time . The infinite whiteboard is your canvas for sharing ideas, sketching projects, and planning work. Use it for work or play to promote team connection and streamline communication and collaboration from afar. Building a strong remote work culture from the start can help you capitalize on the benefits of remote work while mitigating some of the risks and challenges that are unique to distributed teams. Working from home can blur the lines between personal life and work life. Remote workers already work longer hours than office workers, putting them at risk for extra stress and even burnout.