Managing Expectations as We Work from Home

So much of Poline & Associates’ business (and life in general) revolves around managing expectations. In fact, part of the value proposition in hiring a search firm is that the firm facilitates communication between a company and the candidates under consideration.

When a hiring representative goes dark on you, it’s easy to assume the worst. Your mind races to think of all the reasons you haven’t heard back. More often than not, the delay has nothing to do with you. The other person may be dealing with a deadline or something totally unrelated.

Communication Is Essential

Good communication is essential while we currently work at a distance from our clients and our colleagues. The Inc. article “23 Essential Tips for Working Remotely” discusses tips for working from home, and almost half of them deal with communication.

The fact is we are all working from home, and we are all doing it differently. Some of us are early risers and knock out a bunch of correspondence before the sun comes up. Others try to schedule discrete intervals during the day to check in.

Keep Expectations in Check

The key to working virtually is to manage what we expect of each other during this time of transition. If you do not hear immediately from a colleague, don’t panic. No one knows what anyone else is dealing with—it’s better to be up front about this and keep the communication flowing.