Five tips for working remotely as a co-op student
With the increase of remote work over the years, many of you have probably been asked by your employer to work remotely. By putting a few clear guidelines in place from day one, you can quickly and easily set yourself up for success!
1) Discuss where you will be living and working from with your employer
When you’re interviewing for a job or making arrangements after you’ve accepted an offer, it’s important to ask good questions and be transparent with your employer about where you’ll be located during your work term.
Many destinations and jurisdictions require individuals to work in the country where the employer is located. There might also be specific regulatory requirements to work across borders that you and/or your employer would have to comply with. In addition, if you are an international visa student working from your home destination outside of Canada, you will still need a valid Canadian co-op work permit to work for a Canadian employer.
So be sure to research any implications and talk to your employer to understand their expectations around your location as soon as possible. For tips on how to ask questions to make informed and safe employment decisions, check out the Centre for Career Development!
2) Ask your employer to explain their guidelines and expectations for working remotely
Your employer will most likely reach out to you with these details, but if they don't, make sure you ask them what their expectations are. The last thing you want are blurry guidelines that make it difficult for you to feel like you're doing your job well.
Tips for you:
ImmediatelyF after you've been asked to start working from home, call or email your manager with questions like:
- Do I still need to work my original 9-5 hours, or is there flexibility?
- Am I expected to respond to emails that come in after hours?
- Will my role be adjusted in any way to support remote work?
- Is there anything I need to work from home more effectively? (i.e. a laptop, a printer, etc.)
- When will you and I be checking in with each other each day?
- Do you prefer video meetings or phone calls?
- How would you like me to track my work?
- What happens if I receive an ask that I can’t facilitate in my home environment? (i.e. sending or receiving physical items from a storage room)
3) Set up a "home office" for yourself
No, this doesn't need to be a fancy desk in a private room off the hallway, but you'll need to find a way to set yourself up in an environment that allows you to be productive. This arrangement will look different for everyone, so you may need to try out a few options before you find the one that works for you.
Tips for you:
- A good place to start setting up your home office is your bedroom, especially if you're living with other people who are also working from home.
- Make sure your set up is as ergonomically friendly as possible. This might mean propping your laptop up on old textbooks, trying out a few different chairs from around the house and playing around with lighting.
- Clean up the space you're working in. There's a good chance you'll be on multiple video calls, you don't want your dirty laundry in the background.
4) Organize your day first thing in the morning
When you're working from home, it can be easy to get distracted and disorganized. A great way to ensure you don't fall victim to binge-watching cat videos on YouTube is to create a schedule for your day immediately after sitting down at your desk.
Tips for you:
Everyone organizes their work differently, but here a few things you might want to try:
- Write a "things to do today" list and keep it by your computer. Check things off as they're completed.
- Block off time in your work calendar for each task you need to complete today.
- Set alarms on your phone to work in blocks of time. Try things like 30-45 minutes of "head down work" mixed with five-minute breaks.
- Don't be late for meetings - even if they're online. It's better to be the person who logs into the meeting a few minutes early rather than a few minutes late.
5) Regularly check in with your manager
It's important for your manager to know that you're present and accounted for each day, especially because he or she can't physically see you. Don't be the employee who your manager needs to digitally hunt down and worry about every day. Be the one they know can be counted on and reached easily.
Tips for you:
- Send short update emails to your manager with details about work you've accomplished so they can check these tasks off their "things to do" list.
- Reply to all of the emails you're sent, even if it's just to say, "I'm on it!" This lets your team know you've heard the ask and are working on it. If you leave them hanging, they may start to feel frustrated and unsure of what you're doing.
- Stay active on your team's communication platform (like Skype, Teams or Slack). This will make you feel more connected to your team and allow you to play a role in boosting team morale.
- Let your manager and team know when you'll be "offline" for an extended period of time (30 minutes of more) so they're not wondering why they can't reach you.