Navigate that situation incorrectly, and you could be missing out on more than muffins. “The fear is out of sight, out of mind,” says Stacie Haller, a career expert at ResumeBuilder.com. “You want to make sure you’re in the mix and on an even playing field with your co-workers.”
If you’re also concerned you’re becoming disconnected at work, your top priority, career experts say, is to make sure you get at least some face time with your team and your manager. Tell your boss how beneficial it would be to meet with your team, and price out how much a trip might cost, says Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster.com.
“Even if they tell you the budget is too tight, it might be worth it to go out of pocket,” she says.
Besides a trip north (which is already on my calendar), workplace experts told me to schedule regular time with teammates to shoot the breeze about anything but work, and to set goals for myself to get to know people in my organization I don’t work with directly.
As for my bosses, they’ve been excellent about making me feel every bit as much a part of the team as the in-person folks. But if you’re worried on that front, be sure to ask how you can advance your career as a remote worker, and communicate that you’d like to be considered for raises and promotions alongside everyone else. “Managers want people who want to grow and learn,” says Haller.
Hopefully that’s exactly what I’ll keep doing at Make It. I’ll just have to supply my own desserts.
