How to Effectively Work for a Manager You Never See
Whether you
This post originally appeared on Levo League.
Between video conferencing, email, and instant messaging, physical proximity to the office is no longer a requirement. Companies are hiring based on talent and fit, not if someone can be in their chair 24/7. This change has led to entire teams being spread across time zones, states, and even countries. While it can be tricky to report to a remote
I work for a non-profit in Washington, D.C., but my
Establish Regular Communication
If you don't have a scheduled weekly call or Skype session with your boss, set one up right away. My boss and I talk every Monday morning for about 45 minutes about my priorities for the week. I discuss what I finished from last week, what I have planned for the upcoming week, and also ask her if she has any projects or tasks that she would like me to work on.
While I personally think phone calls are the best if you can't meet face to face, even a weekly update email could get the job done. The adage "out of sight, out of mind" rings true here: You don't want to forget about each other just because you don't see each other in the office every day. Another
Build Trust to Avoid Micromanagement
My relationship with my manager succeeds because she trusts me, having already demonstrated my effectiveness. My boss isn't a micromanager at all. This isn't to say that she doesn't communicate with me during the week,but she doesn't constantly send emails asking for status updates.
Once a project is assigned she gives me the space to complete it. Building trust can take time, which is why communication is so important. In the beginning you'll probably want to err on the side of more frequent communication and taper off as you see trust being built. Also, just because you manager isn't in-office, or you work from home
Be Respectful to Each Other's Roles
It's easy to feel like you don't have a boss if your boss isn't in your office every day, but this doesn't give you free reign
Working With Remote Managers | Levo League
Cynthia Bell is a Development Coordinator at Reason Foundation, a non-profit think tank that advances a free, open and prosperous society. From planning events to meeting with donors, she helps Reason's development team with its day-to-day fundraising duties. She blogs at CynthiaCBell.com.
Image adapted from wong salam (Shutterstock). Photos by Brendan Adkins, Terry Johnston, blu-news.org (Flickr).
Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Andy.
- In second consecutive week of decline, forex kitty drops $2.28 bn to $640.33 bn
- SBI Life Q4 profit rises 4% to ₹811 crore
- IMD predicts severe heatwave conditions over East, South Peninsular India for next five days
- COVID lockdown-related school disruptions will continue to worsen students’ exam results into the 2030s: study
- India legend Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 ambassador