Raising your telecommuting profile

“Take on the problem that hasn’t been fixed and resolve it, agree to handle the difficult customer, or go on the business trip no one else wants,” he says. Flexibility—or the lack of it—is often one of the first things remembered by management when it comes to granting promotions.

That’s true, says Mary Grace Flantzer, director of Customer Facing Business Transformation for Lenovo International. “If you can clear your plate to help out during tough times, you’ll be next in line for the assignments others want down the road.”

Flantzer is no stranger to telecommuting. She’s done it for many years and through several promotions. She currently works from home in Atlanta while reporting to management in North Carolina and New York.

Telecommuters should remember that sometimes the only view upper management has of them is through the documents they send forward.

Flantzer says well-thought-out and well-formatted documents and presentations go a long way toward helping management see you as an organized, valuable team member. Content is critical, of course, but knowing how to present the content in an easily understood manner is just as important.

“Take a PowerPoint class if you aren’t skilled at it,” she recommends. “You will be surprised at how easy it is to make your information stand out from others with just a few basic tricks.”

Tip  Don’t have time to create a great format for your documents? Check Microsoft Office Online for details.

No one likes to play tag with a telecommuter, especially during normal working hours. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your management will assume you’re an asset if they can’t find you. Today’s technology advances mean there’s no excuse for staying out of touch. Cell phones, e-mail, instant messaging and text messaging are all quick, easy ways you can touch base with the boss on a daily basis to keep him or her apprised of your schedule and whereabouts. There are other ways, too.

Zavala, for example, uses a weekly conference call with his team to outline his schedule for the week to his manager. He then follows up throughout the week with instant messaging or Microsoft Office Communicator, an integrated communications client that allows workers to communicate in real time. “I use Outlook’s calendar-sharing features, too,” he says.

An open calendar lets people see where you are and what you’re doing. That’s important, because not all managers are comfortable with overseeing telecommuting employees. Open calendars show viewers you have nothing to hide and increases the level of trust that work is occurring when it should be.

Tip: Outlook can also be used to send status updates through its Tasks feature. See 4 ways to streamline your tasks for details.

Your contact with co-workers doesn’t need to be all business, however. Flantzer says she receives instant messages from employees who use instant messaging to just say hello on a regular basis. “One person engages me for ‘virtual after-hours drinks’ and we just spend some time chatting, the same way we would if we were in the same location and could go out after work to talk.”