How to Be An Excellent Virtual Employee

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4.7 million people, or 3.4% of the US workforce, worked remotely before the novel coronavirus forced U.S. businesses to send their employees home armed with laptops and a Zoom account (U.S. Census Bureau / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020). Year to date, 33% of the American workforce now works remotely full-time and 25% part-time (Gallup). 

A growing percentage of companies are already on record that they plan to make up to 10% of their workforce permanently remote post-coronavirus (Statista), and technology companies like Dropbox and Twitter already announcing their share of employees working remotely will be 100%. Throw in the facts that companies save an average of $11,000 when their employees work from home (Global Workplace Analytics, 2020) and remote workers typically earn more money (FlexJobs, 2020) and it is safe to say that working from home is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Working remotely has its benefits and rewards. Sure, it’s not perfect, especially right now with all the additional challenges posed by Covid-19, but survey after survey reveals that 95% - 98% of remote workers want to remain remote workers (World Economic Forum). If you are working from home, it is important that you learn to do it well and follow basic guidelines so that you can keep your career moving forward. Here are six ways you can do that:

1.    Maintain Visibility. Do not be out of site and out of mind. Resist the temptation to hide behind your computer screen and just respond to emails. Don’t put yourself in a silo. Be task-oriented and keep a steady and open dialogue with managers and co-workers.

2.    Be Accountable. You want your manager to know that you’re not binge-watching Netflix all day. Be proactive. Be on time. Promptly respond to communications. Make deadlines. Track and document your productivity. Go above and beyond.

3.    Carve Out An Office Space. To the best of your ability, make your home office just that – an office. You’re projecting a professional image. It’s a good idea to change out of your pajamas and swap out your fuzzy slippers. Have a printer. Have a desk with a comfy chair. Have a dedicated phone line or cell phone. If at all possible, insulate your home office from noise and distractions.

4.    Increase Your Communication. Your boss can’t see you hammering away in the office – do not assume your company can see all the amazing work you are doing. Assume the opposite and mitigate getting lost in the ether by proactively communicating with your manager(s) and co-workers. Provide regular updates. Advance the idea of formal recurring touch points. The reverse is also vitally important. Strive to know what your managers and co-workers are doing as well.

5.    Be a team player. When working from home, your level of engagement will increase through teamwork with your co-workers, whether it entails working a high-pressure business critical project with a tight deadline, or just day-to-day business. Keep in touch, and be helpful.

6.    Be video friendly. If you’re working remotely, you will be on Zoom or some other conferencing platform. Approach virtual meetings with the same common sense and decorum you would an in-person meeting (“6 Simple Tips to Shine on a Video Interview”).

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Can I Negotiate A Raise In A Bad Economy?

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During an economic downturn, business still goes on. Sure, the purse strings may be pulled in tighter, but employers that remain in operation continue to deliver products and services.

And if you’ve survived layoffs and are still employed, chances are that your workload has increased as you take on new and additional duties in addition to your prior tasks.

If you’re feeling underpaid or undervalued, is it an unthinkable crime to ask for a more money? Not necessarily.

When the economy goes south, workers believe compensation increases are out the window, and in many cases that is true; but even if there are furloughs, layoffs, or a catastrophic corporate restructuring, in some circumstances a salary increase may be both possible and justified.

But a serious word of warning – if you do decide to ask for an increase outside the normal compensation cycle (i.e., end of year performance appraisals), you need to proceed with extreme caution. Asking a company to part with its money during a recession or any hard times comes with inherent risk. Here are eight factors to consider:

Factor 1 – Know The Risk. Asking for a raise at any time is gutsy; asking for a raise during a downturn might come across as insensitive (at least) to the current economic situation. If you don’t play your cards right, it could backfire. Not only might your request be refused, but there could be long term consequences in terms of your perceived value to the company or in terms of being viewed as a malcontent.

Factor 2 – Read The Tea Leaves. Perform an objective assessment of the economic landscape and your company’s position in it. If your company is having serious business challenges, use discretion in your approach. For example, if the company is undergoing salary freezes, payroll cuts, or furloughs, it may not be the best time to ask for more. However, if those same changes force you into a position where you are working much longer hours to keep the company afloat, the company may be amenable to your message. Consider the subtle nuances of your situation.

Factor 3 – Know Your Market Value. Do a compensation assessment; this should include current market salary research for your specific position, field, region, and experience level. If your compensation package is at or above market, a request for an increase is not going to be well received. If you’re below, you may have a case. Use validated sources like PayScale that provide an accurate reflection of actual market trends. Prepare to share this data with your boss as part of your pitch.

Factor 4 – Consider Your Benefits Package In Your Request. Remember, your compensation is much more than the raw base salary figure, your total compensation package includes additional benefits such as insurance, bonuses, profit sharing, and other perks. Delve into the fine print and make sure you understand how you stack up. Your $80,000 a year may already be better than the $100,000 market average if your total package includes lots of extra goodies, such as a health insurance plan that is 100% company-paid.

Factor 5 – Be Honest About Your Value To The Company In The Moment. If you’re a top performer whose expertise has been historically beneficial to your employer, you may have a bit more room to negotiate, even during challenging times. However, if your business is in cost-cutting mode, one day your role is essential and the next day it might not be viewed as such.. Think about how the change in situation impacts your immediate value and be prepared to defend your assertions that you’re essential.

Factor 6 – Timing, Timing, Timing! If you are absorbing the work of departing employees, or your duties have rapidly changed, you are in a more advantageous position to ask for an increase. If it seems you’re attempting to take advantage of a bad situation, your request will be denied and you may put yourself on shaky ground.

Factor 7 – Take A Collaborative Tone In Negotiations. Have an evidence-based conversation with your supervisor and/or human resources, and arrive armed with a well-researched pile of metrics that demonstrate market value and that show how the company will come out ahead by investing in you. Don’t threaten to quit (explicitly or implicitly) if you don’t get a raise – you could be an easy mark for the next of layoffs.

Factor 8 – Keep It Confidential. It’s common sense not to talk about delicate contract negotiations with your co-workers. If your employer ends up giving you an increase, and your coworkers hear that you received a raise, there’s a chance that they’ll ask for the same and put both your boss and you in a very uncomfortable position, while breaking trust. Don’t breathe a word.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

My Job Offer Was Rescinded Due To The Economy! What Do I Do?

iStockphoto.com | RomarioIen

It’s a nightmare scenario for any job seeker. You’ve accepted an offer to work for your dream company. After signing and returning the offer letter, and cancelling interviews with other firms (or, worse, given notice to your current company), you get a mysterious message from the human resources team at your new employer asking you to give them a call as soon as you can…

And it’s horrible news. They tell you that due to no fault of your own, the company is rescinding the offer, and you’re left without any job at all.

There are myriad reasons a company will go through the painful process of cancelling a job offer after acceptance, but in most such cases, it boils down to one of three reasons:

1.     A major economic downturn. When economies go bad, aggressively companies cut cost to compensate for the grim market outlook. And to many companies, it’s more palatable to eliminate the role of the person who hasn’t started yet, rather than an existing employee. 

2.     A sudden and dramatic change in fortune of the specific company involved. Internal scandals enveloped Enron and Theranos, driving them to extinction. But even in less dramatic cases, companies that need to rapidly eliminate overhead will turn first to labor.

3.     A change in corporate strategy. The folks in the C-suite are constantly playing chess with the different departments and products, trying to optimize the P&L. It might mean that a project you were going to join gets cancelled unexpectedly, resulting in excess staff.

These situations all stink, and they put the job seeker in a horrible position. Whether you’re a recent graduate, or a professional who wants to make a jump to a bigger better job, or an unemployed professional who’s been aggressively pounding the pavement for a while, you’re still caught in Limbo. And under COVID-19, this has happened with more and more frequency.

Your options to mitigate the damage are limited, no doubt. But there are steps you can take to try to make the best of the situation (please note - this is not legal advice; for solid legal guidance, always consult an attorney):

• Keep Your Cool: When you receive the news, don’t unleash your anger on the company representative that reaches out to you. It’s in your best interest to maintain a collaborative dialogue to try to squeeze the best possible outcome out of the situation. A combative tone risks an emotional backlash from HR or hiring authority. It’s in the company’s best interest to resolve the situation as smoothly as possible - use that to your advantage.

• Ask For Details: If you’re able, by all means press HR for as many details as possible as to why your role was eliminated. The reasons given may help you understand the degree of support you may be able to obtain from the company in resolving the situation. A full company closure obviously has less potential for another opportunity than does a situation in which a small group is impacted.

• Find The Hidden Opportunities: Your dialogue with HR might uncover the potential for the company to follow through with a job opportunity or other outcomes. Consider asking:

  • If business returns to “normal”, might the job be reinstated?

  • If so, how would I be considered and prioritized?

  • Am I eligible and qualified for any other open position with the company?

  • Is the company offering any sort of severance payment in consideration of what’s happened?

• Understand Your Rights: If you have a signed/counter-signed employment agreement, review it carefully, and consider having a good labor attorney review it, to see if you may be entitled to some form of compensation or other consideration.

• Find A New Job: Y However, you are now in a more unique situation that may benefit you during your new search. You had a job; you just never had the chance to perform it. In interviews, use this as a selling point, especially if the company that rescinded the offer was a well-known brand that carries prestige in the talent market.

• Rebuild Bridges: If you were fortunate enough to have multiple job offers, do not hesitate to reach out to the companies you turned down. Likewise, if you’ve given notice to your current employer, they may be willing to keep you on.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.