Stop sabotaging your remote work with poor work ethics

TL;DR;

Great work ethics are essential. They distinguish amateurs from professionals. To excel in this era of remote work, challenge yourself to step up every day, stay disciplined, and focus on delivering high-quality results. Remember, you are employed or contracted to produce results, not just to be busy.

What is work ethics?

Work ethics refers to the principles and values that guide how you approach your work. It’s about showing discipline, accountability, professionalism, and dedication, whether you’re in an office or working remotely.

Having strong work ethics ensures you deliver results consistently and maintain credibility in your professional life, whether you are an employee, freelancer, contractor, or creator.

Remote work offers unparalleled freedom, but this freedom comes with significant responsibility. Unfortunately, many professionals struggle with maintaining strong work ethics in a remote setting.

According to a survey by Stanford, 14% of software engineers working remotely admit to doing virtually no work. This highlights the critical need for robust work ethics to ensure productivity and success in a remote environment.

What happens when you have poor work ethics?

Let’s face it: without good work ethics, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Missed deadlines, subpar work quality, and broken trust are just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s what can happen:

• Loss of credibility: Colleagues, managers, and, clients will lose trust in your ability to deliver.
• Missed opportunities: Promotions, raises, referrals, or even job security may slip away.
• Burnout: Poor planning and procrastination lead to stress and exhaustion. Most remote workers are burnout because they have poor work ethics.
• Damaged relationships: Miscommunication and unprofessional behavior can strain team dynamics and harm client-contractor relationships.

Great work ethics aren’t just about avoiding these pitfalls—they’re about excelling and building a reputation that opens doors.

I asked professional remote workers I respect for their top tips on maintaining great work ethics while working remotely, and here’s what they said:

The ASK framework: Attitude, Skill, Knowledge

Theodora Isola, author of Remote Work Starts Here, nails it with her ASK framework:

• Attitude: Cultivate discipline, accountability, and professionalism. Stick to schedules, take ownership of tasks, communicate proactively, and stay resilient despite distractions.
• Skill: Stay ahead by developing both technical and soft skills. Remote work demands adaptability as technology evolves.
• Knowledge: Continuously improve by mastering tools, understanding company policies, and keeping up with industry trends.

Key takeaway

Value-focused work is not just about getting the job done; it’s about making a difference from wherever you are. As Theodora aptly puts it,

Your work gives you an opportunity to make your life and others better. Don’t mess it up.

Structuring your remote workday

Sophia Ahuoyiza Abubakar, a software engineer & technincal Product Manager highlights the illusion of unlimited time when working remotely:

Sometimes working from home can give the illusion of unlimited time, you ain't thinking in 9-5, you're thinking in 24 hours but we only have few hours to be productive in a day and if most/all of that is burned elsewhere while work is now something to catch up on it will reflect on the quality of the output.

Key takeaway

• Set boundaries: Avoid the 24-hour mindset. Create a structured workday to maximize productivity and maintain a work-life balance.
• Focus on quality: Let your output reflect the hours you dedicate to your work.
• Have a structure: Structure is the backbone of effective remote work. Without it, you risk compromising the quality of your output.

Communication is king

Emmanuel Eboh provided a quality listicle on various aspects of communication, time managment, and, documentation, that he considers important in a remote work setting:

Good communication skills

• Async communication skills: communicate at any point in time, be asynchronous with your communication. Do not wait till the next standup session before you communicate things like blockers, requests, reports etc
• Technical communication skills: A good remote ethics is being able to explain technical jargons and concepts in a practical and relatable way to the non-technical colleagues and stakeholders
• Report skills: This covers things like official standup reports and project demos/reviews. Tasks reported should be specific enough as well as granular.

Good time management skills

• Have a clearly defined list of expectations for the week from your managers and stakeholders
• Write down planned tasks for the day
• Be wary of procrastination

Documentation skills

• Document every task and changes made. Records are extremely helpful to any remote team (document endpoints, new features, bug fixes, backlogs etc)

The power of documentation

Remote teams thrive on well-documented processes. As Eboh suggests:

• Document every task, feature, and bug fix.
• Keep records of endpoints, changes, and backlogs.

Honesty and accountability

Michael Essiet emphasizes the importance of honesty, transparency, and accountability:

If you can’t do something or if you’re stuck, there’s no shame in asking for help from your team members and letting them know you’ll be late delivering your task. This is far better than kicking the can down the road and embarrassing yourself at the next team sync.

Nuggets from the community

I reached out to remote workers on X for their top remote work tips, and they shared invaluable insights. Here are some of my favourites replies:

• Do 2 hours of deep work multiple times to make your total expected hours per day. - Olabode LAWAL-SHITTABEY
• Always be polite and kind. People can't see your facial expressions to know if it's sacasm or you just joking around - Idahosa Silver
• Make sure you invest in power and internet - Emeka Chukwu
• Be professional — remote doesn’t mean 'anything goes.' Don’t join meetings from noisy places or while eating amala 😂. Over-communicate. 'I thought you knew' is not an update. - David Omizz
• Reach out to your remote colleague for help when there’s a blocker. You’re not supposed to know everything. Romeo Peter

Pro tips for maintaining great work ethics

• Stop multitasking: It feels productive, but it often reduces focus and quality. Stick to one task at a time.
• Limit social media: Social media can be a massive time sink. Use apps to block distractions during work hours.
• Take breaks: Regular breaks keep your mind sharp and prevent burnout.
• Stick to a routine: Establish a start and end time for your workday to create boundaries.
• Do what you say you will do: Keep to your word and communicate on time when you can't keep to it; don't expect things to just float into the ether without being addressed.

Conclusion

Mastering remote work goes beyond technical skills. It's about having the right attitude, improving your skills, and always learning. Structure your day, communicate well, document everything, and stay professional to succeed in remote work.

Remote work is a privilege and an opportunity. Treat it as such, and you’ll not only thrive but inspire others to do the same. Got more tips? Mention me in an X post with them!