Handling the Only Remote Person on an In-Office Team

Introduction: Remote Person

While it can be a pleasure to work from home, being the only remote member of an otherwise in-office team can be incredibly isolating.

You miss out on the casual conversations, the chats at lunch, the easy updates that happen when people are face-to-face and in the same room all day.

How to handle being the only remote person on an otherwise in-office team: a guide to accepting your situation and then making things right again.

How to Handle Being the Only Remote Person on an Otherwise In-Office Team?

1. Understand How Your Team Communicates

Everyone has their own way of communicating. Some teams operate on a strict hierarchy with lots of face-to-face meetings, emails, and in-person conversations.

Others might use a project management system and chat applications to track what is being worked on, who is doing what, and how people should talk to one another.

As the only remote employee, you have to understand how your team communicates.

If the people you work with always hold in-person conversations to make decisions, ask them to post these decisions or updates in the shared space.

You don’t have to hear everything, but when it comes to information relevant to your own project, make sure it can’t slip by unnoticed.

2. Build Strong Relationships with Your Coworkers

Just because you are working remotely doesn’t mean you should be strictly professional with your coworkers.

Get to know the people you work with, and make the effort to spend time learning about them as people.

You can use some of the tools and resources your office uses to stay connected, like video conferencing or online chat rooms.

Ask your coworkers about their weekends, what they like to do, and anything else you can think of.

The more connected you feel to the people you work with, the more likely you are to understand and remember when important decisions get made.

3. Make Your Work Visible

As a remote worker, you have to make sure your accomplishments and progress are visible to the people you work with. When people work in an office, this is obvious. If someone is working on a complicated project, their coworkers take notice.

When you work from home, you have to make sure people know what you are working on. Consider sharing some updates with your manager and coworkers.

These updates don’t have to be very long, but you might want to consider including things like:

• What you have accomplished
• What you are currently working on
• What problems you have encountered
• What you plan to work on in the future

4. Avoid Feeling Left Out Personally

You probably feel left out when your coworkers go to lunch together, have impromptu face-to-face meetings, or use inside jokes or references you don’t always understand.

However, not every interaction is an intentional slight. Try not to take everything you can’t hear or see personally. Instead, make an effort to build your own relationship with the people you work with.

You can ask if you can schedule a more formal coffee chat or call, or if there is a way to video-conference more often. If your coworkers have a holiday party or another big social event, ask if there is a way to include remote employees.

5. Ask for Equal Access to Information

It can feel incredibly frustrating to be kept in the dark about information. If this is a recurring problem, it’s worth having a conversation with your manager.

When you bring this up, try to focus on how this affects your work, not your feelings about your coworkers. Try to ask for specific updates, like asking to be included in office conversations, so you and your manager can discuss what is being decided.

This keeps the conversation focused on your work and not on your coworkers’ behavior.

6. Create Regular Check-Ins With Your Manager

Having regular check-ins with your manager can help prevent misunderstandings. Ask for regular meetings where the two of you can talk about your work, what is coming up, any challenges you are facing, and how you are doing in general.

These meetings are also a good opportunity to ask if you are meeting expectations. Don’t wait until something goes wrong to have this conversation, but regular check-ins can make it much easier to address little misunderstandings.

Conclusion: Remote Person

Being the only remote employee on an otherwise in-office team can feel challenging, but it does not have to limit your contribution or career growth. Clear communication, consistent participation, proactive relationship-building, and reliable work habits can help you stay connected with your colleagues. By making your work visible and creating strong professional relationships despite the physical distance, you can remain an engaged and valued member of the team.

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