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How to succeed in a new job working remotely

Writer's picture: Victoria  FaircloughVictoria Fairclough

Updated: Feb 4, 2022

While people are finding the current job market a challenge, I know some companies are slowly resuming hiring, and I have several friends who have started new jobs during lockdown or partial lockdown. The current climate has created all sorts of new challenges and starting a new job entirely through virtual communications has mixed outcomes.


There are of course pitfalls to avoid, but also many ways in which to thrive at work in our ‘new normal’. Also, I wanted to share a few insights for colleagues and line managers who have been in the fortunate position to hire people during this time.

Here are a few thoughts to consider:

1. Meet as many people as you can via video chat

When starting any new job, I always try to meet new colleagues and stakeholders face-to-face. It’s partly because I’m rubbish with names – until I’ve met someone – and sometimes even then I have the odd memory fail. The other reason is that you can thrive or fail in your career through the connections you make. It used to be a universal truth that knowledge is power, but nine times of out 10 these days you can solve a problem through your network, as long as you’ve invested in it.

Building great working relationships with people and a solid rapport – is a must-have in any role. There is of course no substitute for meeting people in real life face-to-face over a hot cuppa – but video chat is good enough to at least get on their radar, understand how they fit into the organisation, and your new role. It takes time and can be a little awkward – but always worth the investment longer term.

2. Agree your key objectives

At least for the first three months, you’ll be floating around in a daze of information, new names and acronyms. Your brain will feel like jelly sitting in the hot sun – less and less dense as the days go on. So be clear with your line manager about what you’re going to achieve and what their expectations are initially. Then write them down and revisit them every few weeks to demonstrate that your jelly-based brain is actually delivering value. They can’t see what you’re doing with your day while you’re working from home so it demonstrates your accountability. It is also a good way to keep you on track as you get pulled into different new projects. It will evolve and change, but at least to begin with you’ll have a clear focus.

3. Bring an agenda

I’m still constantly amazed at people who rock up to meetings, chat randomly and then dither about with no clear meeting agenda. It’s a waste of everyone’s time – and it's really annoying. Think in advance about what you want to get out of a meeting. Time, especially during lockdown when everyone is juggling family commitments and life in general, is a precious resource. Don't waste it. Everyone will appreciate your strategic timely approach – and be more than happy to chat to you in future.

4. Take regular breaks

At the moment, I don’t know about you but, I’m certainly experiencing Zoom fatigue. I’m tethered to my laptop for the entire day joining video meeting, after video meeting on Zoom, Teams, Google Hangouts and many more. It’s endless, back-to-back and misses the bit between times when you usually have the opportunity to make a coffee or pop to the loo. Now, full disclosure, I’m terrible at making time for breaks during the day. And as a result, I become a creaky blob of a human being who can barely function by 7pm. Don’t become a creaky blob – try to schedule in time to sit in the sun, have lunch, go for a walk or just make a coffee. Escaping the screen throughout the day is essential for your sanity and will ultimately ensure you're more efficient and deliver better results.

5. Have fun

The one essential thing about starting a new job is to make time for a bit of chit chat with your colleagues. It often feels like a waste of time when you’re busy, but working remotely means you miss the water-cooler moments, the office banter, the tea rounds, the birthday cake, and the swift half in the pub. Basically, working remotely means you miss all the fun of office life. So make sure you still include some fun bits and bobs – either one-to-one with colleagues or as a team.

In one of the teams I’ve joined, we have a Friday afternoon wind down hour. We each take it in turns to host – and have so far made sausage rolls, taken bets on horse racing, played Guess Who (tailored to questions about the team), Pictionary, several quizzes and much more. It’s a great way to bring everyone together and decompress at the end of a busy week. I still don’t know a lot about my colleagues - but I’m finding out more each week and we’re all having a laugh - which is a good place to start laying the foundations for great working relationships.

6. Pick your main channel of communication

In these times of WhatsApp, Slack, texts, IM, Skype, Teams, emails, calls, video chats and every other communication channel available, it can be incredibly stressful trying to keep on top of them all. You worry you’ll miss something important so you keep checking, and the endless pinging drives you to distraction, plus it’s on your laptop AND your phone. It’s endless and it’s everywhere. Do yourself a favour and pick one channel – if you can… Now this is also easier said than done – but it will save you time and stress in the long run.

7. Be kind

Now this point is more for the hiring managers and existing team members – please be kind to your new colleagues. They barely know what they’re doing, literally don’t know the business or any of the people you’ve spent every day with in the office, and they don’t even know what you look like from the shoulders down. You might have legs – or you might not – it’s one of many unknown factors.

Be kind to the new people joining your team remotely. Be compassionate and understanding. The current situation is challenging for everyone in different ways. Those brave enough to take the plunge into a new job, which is always a terrifying experience at the best of times, is twice as difficult remotely.

My final thought is this – don’t forget to take a moment to celebrate your success. It’s tough starting a new job and even harder building great working relationships with colleagues at any time in life. You’re doing it entirely through Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp and Slack. There’s little body language to read, limited tone, you’re probably not getting a great new starter induction experience, and goodness knows what will happen if you actually get to the office. You’re also dealing with all of your home life stuff too.

So, take this moment to pat yourself on the back – and raise a glass of something delicious. You’re thriving in some of the worst conditions in recent times so don’t forget to celebrate the big and little wins. And for those still on the hunt – stay positive and persistent because you will get there – and don’t forget to celebrate your success when you do.


Victoria Fairclough is a PR & Communications consultant at Fair Communications. For more information visit: www.faircommunications.co.uk

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