Monday, June 14, 2021

How to Ensure Fair Treatment as a Remote Worker


When interviewing for a job, it's always a good idea to pay attention when you get a tour of the workplace and meet other employees. During this time, you want to look for red flags -- the things that indicate that employees are unhappy or that the workplace has a toxic atmosphere. (Some indications include workers who never smile or make eye contact, rundown facilities, lack of clarity regarding advancement, etc.)

The same thing is true when you're considering a remote or hybrid job. Just because the employer says you can work from home doesn't mean that you can ignore the warning signs that the job or the company may be harmful to your career or mental well-being.

Recently, FlexJobs identified red flags it believes are signs of a toxic hybrid workplace, including:

1. No senior leaders who work remotely.

2. Celebrations or rewards happen only in the office.

3. Meetings are scheduled at odd hours.

4. Lack of appropriate equipment for remote workers or lack of proper remote communication tools.

I'd also like to add that any boss who has remote workers needs to be able to offer a clear idea of how he or she measures performance. Are you expected to have set office hours? Are online measurement tools used? 

What about attending professional events? Are those open to you as a remote worker? When you're working from home, it's probably even more important for your career that you attend offsite team events, professional conferences, etc.  Make sure that "working remote" doesn't mean "staying remote." You should be given opportunities to participate in company events.

To be fair, many bosses are still trying to figure out hybrid work arrangements and may not have all these tools and practices in place. But when asked, the boss should show that he or she is proactively looking out for remote workers and gives them as much energy as workers in the office all week.

 

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