Setting your back office for virtual or remote jobs is currently more important than ever. The coming of coronavirus has forced the world into virtualizing their work or jobs although there has already been a spike in the remote job section recently. There is now a need to set your back-office and make it comfortable to carry out your official duties. First of all, let’s understand what these terms signify.
Back-office
Back-office can be said to be that space or office that is set aside for administrative purposes. Ordinarily, it is created to support the activities of the front office. The majority of the tasks handled from the back-office include providing clearance, accounting, settlement, record maintenance, data entry, HR department, IT, and regulatory compliance services. Back-office can be set either within the front office environment or away from the cooperate office environment which is sometimes, at home.
These days, the back-office is no longer created as a support office for the main corporate office. It is now a full office of its own since young business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs launch full operations from there without having to rent another place for cooperative activities.
Also, you can also call your back-office space, as a work-from-home space.
Virtual or Remote Job
Virtual jobs can be said to be any job done away from the main corporate environment with the help of technical services such as telephone, internet, or email. Terms that can be used to analyze virtual jobs are telecommuting, work-from-home, or remote jobs.
Importance of Virtual or Remote Job
Having to work virtually or remotely comes with its ups and downs. But on the brighter side, the major reasons why you get to enjoy the privileges of working remotely is that;
- Flexible work hours. You can manage your time the way it suits you best.
- Dictate your own terms and you can strike a balance between work and life.
- You are comfy when working. You can even work with your pajamas on.
Why is setting a back-office for virtual or Remote Jobs important?
Deciding to work from a remote location especially from your own may not be as easy as it looks. If you don’t plan yourself well, you may never really meet up with your targets. You are prone to lots of distractions and lack of focus when you work from your home especially when you have other family members or pets around you.
It is paramount that you designate a portion of your home to be your workspace. While sitting on your couch or bed may seem comfortable, you may doze off halfway into the work. This is the major reason why you need to set out space for your virtual or remote jobs.
Requirements for Setting your Back-Office virtual/Remote
Starter Kits
Before you can be able to think about working virtually or remotely, you must have these basics starter kit or you may have to acquire one. Some of these basic starter kits are;
- Computer with keyboards or laptop
- Mouse (for your PC or laptop as desired)
- Install the necessary software for your work description such as Microsoft Office and other Microsoft packages.
- Get a headphone for yourself
- Have additional tools like cables, chargers, USB cables, and so on.
- Office or desk chair that is comfortable enough
- A stand for your laptop (optional)
- Good webcam and desk lamp.
Basic Skills
To effectively work remotely, it is necessary that you possess basic IT skills such as the use of spreadsheets, cloud, and Microsoft packages.
There is also a need to have personal training and discipline such as the ability of meeting deadlines, being transparent, honest, and trustworthy.
Then if you are looking forward to getting a virtual or remote work, you may need advanced qualifications such as Degrees or High School Diploma, telecommunication, and other business operational skills
Map out an area of your home as working space
Choose an area of your home and set aside as your work area. If possible, decorate and arrange it to look like any cooperative office. This also helps activate your working mood once you are there to commence work.
Allocate work hours to yourself
To achieve more and become consistent, it is necessary that you allocate work hours to yourself. This helps your body to adjust to working mode once the time reaches. It will also help your clients to know when and when not to contact you.
Give yourself a break
Overworking yourself makes you less productive. Take a break from time to time, to stretch yourself, relax for some minutes, and resume your work. Doing this keeps your brain and body refreshed which will make you more productive in return.
Build Networks and relationships
One of the advantages of working with others in a cooperate environment is that ideas can be shared among your colleagues and also, healthy business relationships can be established. Working virtually or remotely deprives you of experiencing this advantage. There is a need to find people of the same intellectual and career goals within your locality. Interact with them, find business meetings and parties, and attend them. By doing this, your intellectual capacity and productivity will be boosted.
You can also communicate virtually with other team members through video calls, chats, and if the opportunity to meet them physically comes up, take it.
Final Words
Since the need for remote workers or virtual workers is on the increase, it is now a necessity to set your workplace and know more about the required skills. This will increase your productivity and the ability to meet up with the challenges out there.
You can also check out companies or sites like freelancers, Flexjobs, Indeed, and Upwork for remote job opportunities. On the other hand, if you are looking to hire a company for virtual services, you could check out companies like Dribbble, Github jobs, Authentic Jobs or check out https://katrium.eu/.