Successful remote workers have seven key attributes that can be learnt and developed, an occupational psychologist has said.
In a webinar on effective mobile working last week Richard Breger said there are many challenges that remote workers face, such as isolation, keeping up with technology & innovation, and dealing with the blurring of work/home boundaries.
However, he said employers should be optimistic that these challenges can be tackled. “With awareness of the impact of our behaviour we can change it if we have the will to do so.”
Breger has recently published “The Effective Remote Worker”, a toolkit based on research among remote workers and their managers. He said self-motivation, self-management, self-confidence, relationship management, customer focus, problem solving and a focus on continuous improvement are the seven most important attributes. He added that employers need to consider job performance and technology competence when deciding if a worker is suitable for remote working.
Breger and webinar host author Peter Thomson said it is important to recognise that there is no ideal pattern of work or personality for remote working. “It’s not as simple as extroverts going to the office and introverts staying at home,” said Breger. “Many introverts need the social contact whilst extroverts may be happy to work at home and go to the squash court later for social interaction. It’s not as simple as a personality dimension.”
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/citrixonline/
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