4 Attributes of Remote Workers Making Serious Money

Remote work has never been more popular than in the wake of COVID-19. But just because you’ve achieved the ideal work lifestyle by working remotely from home (or anywhere else you choose) doesn’t mean everything is automatically perfect.

Yes, you’re more likely to get paid better when working remotely (according to some studies). But how can you ensure you’re getting paid what you’re worth (and then some) when working outside the office?

Here are a few key attributes remote workers need in order to make serious money.

Attribute #1: Strong Communication Skills

If you want to make seriously good money as a remote worker you’ve got to be a great communicator. There’s no way around it. You must be able to:

• Communicate effectively over various mediums: writing, speaking, recording yourself, etc.
• Organize your communications so tasks don’t fall through the cracks or become delayed.
• Adapt to modern communication styles, such as asynchronous communication, and popular remote work software to work effectively and efficiently.

Remote workers who fail to communicate effectively often get left out of the loop on important team information, leading to decreased productivity and diminished value in the eyes of your employer.

How this leads to serious money

Remote workers who take the time to master strong communication skills are more likely to stay at their job longer and have more success—leading to greater potential for promotions.

Statistics reveal a whopping 86% of professionals (managers and employees) attribute “lack of effective collaboration and communication as the main causes for workplace failures.”

If you want to keep your remote job over the long term, land a few promotions along the way, and make serious money as a remote worker, you’ve got to make communication a priority.

Attribute #2: Directness

Another way to ensure you get your best work done, and therefore continue to make good money as a remote worker, is to harness the power of directness.

As a remote worker, you’ve got to be direct with your manager, your coworkers, and any outside vendors or clients you might work with.

Because remote workers so often utilize asynchronous communication, it’s important to get the right message across the first time, to reduce back-and-forth between parties.

How this leads to serious money

Not only will you be a more productive remote worker when you learn to be direct with your coworkers and boss, but you’ll also stand out from other employees who beat around the bush or lack clarity in their communications.

One survey found that 7 out of 10 managers are uncomfortable communicating with employees, and 4 out of 10 are uncomfortable having to give direct feedback.

By being direct in your communications, you’ll highlight your potential for leadership within the company.

Attribute #3: A Strong Point of View

As a remote worker, it can be easy to feel like your in-office counterparts have more say about the work your team does on a daily basis.

If you’re not a good communicator and direct in your communications, you may feel like your point of view is often overlooked.

In order to make your voice heard and your opinion appreciated despite your lack of physical presence in the office, start by having a strong point of view in the first place.

As a remote worker, you may hesitate to share a passionate point of view at the risk of sounding too aggressive. And, if you’re not a good communicator and direct in your communications, you may feel like your point of view is often overlooked.

However, making your voice heard and expressing your opinions in a straightforward way will provide you with more credibility when speaking to peers and managers. 

How this leads to serious money

You might be under the mistaken impression that your manager wants a team of “yes-men” who only agree with her ideas and her own strategy.

This belief couldn’t be farther from the truth in many cases.

Most managers want to hear the diverse opinions of many team members (which is why we hire worldwide). In fact, having a strong point of view is critical to positive team development. Harvard author Amy Gallo and psychologist Liane Davey put it this way:

“Conflict allows the team … to synthesize diverse perspectives, and to make sure solutions are well thought-out. Conflict is uncomfortable, but it is the source of true innovation, and also a critical process in identifying and mitigating risks.”

As your strong point of view helps contribute to innovation, diverse perspectives, and risk mitigation, your employer is more likely to attribute these successes to you and more willingly agree to a raise or promotion.

Attribute #4: Superb Organization Skills

Finally, in order to make great money as a remote worker, you’re going to need some great organizational skills.

This isn’t the typical “desk dividers and sticky notes” organization you might immediately think of. Instead, you need to get hyper-organized about the work you do every day.

Because you’re working remotely, it can be difficult to stay on-task and complete projects as efficiently as when working in an office. That’s why, for so many employers, the jury is still out on whether widespread remote work should continue long-term.

In order to overcome these hurdles, you have to teach yourself to stay organized.

How this leads to serious money

Staying organized means:

• You hit important deadlines set by your manager or company executives.
• You remember important details about projects, plans, and initiatives.
• You waste less time seeking information you should already have at your disposal.

All of these accomplishments combined lead to an impressive track record with your manager and company leadership, which will undoubtedly lead to higher pay and the potential for promotion. 

Making the Most of Remote Work

When you take the above attributes into consideration and actively work toward improving in each area, you’ll find greater job security with more opportunity for growth—financially and otherwise.

In addition to everything we’ve reviewed in this article, remember: making serious money as a remote worker starts with finding the right position.

If you’re having a hard time finding the right remote work job to allow you to grow personally and financially, then try Crossover.

We’re on a mission to find the most talented professionals in the world and match them with high-paying remote jobs at top companies.

Regardless of how, when, or why you take a remote job, leveraging the 4 attributes in this article will put you ahead of the competition and on the right track to making serious money as a remote worker.