Business Admin:  Things to keep in mind when your staff work remotely. 

Chronicles of Experience

More and more people are working remotely, having their homes, coffee shops or even their beds double as an office workspace.  Whether or not you believe that staff can be more productive when they have flexibility, you need to keep control of your business administration.  This becomes even more important when staff work remotely or you do.  Listed below are a couple of key things any business administrator must have before attempting to take the reins of remote staff as well as tips for working remotely yourself.

Experience:

Of course, a diploma or degree in business administration is vital to this type of work but it is of equal importance to have some experience before taking on remote administration.  You need to understand the office politics and deal with the conflict involved for a couple of years.  Get the T-shirt for the easier, in-office job before you challenge yourself with working from home.

Time Management:

Your whole business is remote and you know working from home and sleeping at the office is the norm.  Every day must now begin with a mindset of productivity.  What are the priorities for today’s work?  How will you divide your time between work and personal life?  What amount of quality time will you spend on loved ones?  How many hours will you put aside for work?  Do not fall behind!  This can snowball out of control very quickly and risk damaging both sides of your life.  Keep up with tasks, both work-related and personal.

Flexibility:

Standing still never got anyone up a mountain.  Be open to change and adapt when it does, inevitably, come.  Never stagnate.  Your business has taken a step into the future with this flexible option, it is going many more places.  Do not fall behind.

Be Accessible:

The business might as well be scattered around the globe with regards to how much face-to-face interaction staff have while they work.  Do not allow this to become a disadvantage.  Keep strong ties to staff and prioritize those relationships.  As a business administrator, it is your responsibility to stay informed, while keeping everyone else up to date on everything important.  It is a tall order when working remotely so stay in the loop.

Discipline:

This probably goes without saying, but you need to have the self-discipline to work from home.  You need to stay motivated and be strict with yourself and your schedule.  The vast differences between working from home and from the office can only truly be felt once you are in the thick of it.  Failure is simpler than success.

Remote work is not for everyone.  Be sure of yourself before you leave the luxuries of the office.