Post by orangefields on Dec 31, 2019 14:34:07 GMT
More and more of us are choosing to work from home. In fact, 23% of U.S. professionals do some or all of their work remotely, and it’s easy to see why. No stressful commute in rush hour traffic. No more spending money on sandwiches, coffee and parking. In fact, remote jobs are a big money saver. Businesses enabling employees to work at home would save $11,000 a year per employee. Plus, remote workers could save over $4,000 a year.
But of course, the main reason we love to telecommute is because we can achieve greater productivity during work hours, which means more time spent with loved ones or pursuing our other interests.
[*]82% of telecommuters reported lower stress levels.
[*]80% of telecommuters report a higher morale, and 69% of telecommuters reported lower absenteeism.
[*]Full-time telecommuters save more than $4,000 each year by spending less on a variety of costs.
[/ul]So, if you’re thinking about a move to that highly coveted work from home flexibility, how do you begin?
Finding remote work: Know your skill set
First, you need to know how your skill set matches up with the most popular work-from-home jobs. It’s a given that your basic digital communication skills need to be up to par. That means the ability to use Skype, email and the Office suite. You may also find that your chosen company uses remote team management software, too. Much like Hubstaff or one of the many remote monitoring programs. Ask yourself:
This could be your office
Top 10 Highest Paid Online Jobs
As reported by Glassdoor, in order of annual salary.
1. Marketing manager
Average salary: $63,250
If you have a good working knowledge of B2B, content, & technology marketing then you might be suited for a remote role as a marketing manager. Duties may include developing a marketing plan, designing campaigns, managing other remote team members, executing campaigns and analyzing them.
View listings for marketing managers
2. Forensic computer analyst
Average salary: $70,155
Candidates in this role are usually expected to deliver support to more senior-level team members, conduct forensic data collection and perform detailed forensic analyses. Being a CSI fan isn’t enough, you must have one or more IT security or forensics security certifications.
View listings here
3. Attorney
Average salary: $81,439
At one point or another, companies will seek legal help for either starting or running their business. Remote companies are no different. This position will involve providing legal support and assistance to clients, case management, employment law, and depositions.
View listings here
4. IT manager
Average salary: $82,054
If you want to land a high paying remote position as an IT manager, you will probably need tangible experience working with certain programs and systems. Qualifications are less important than your ability to prove a successful history and an aptitude for required tasks.
View available IT roles
5. User experience researcher
Average salary: $82,865
Researchers will need to understand the needs of the company’s users and translate these into requirements for product and marketing efforts. This requires a high degree of organization, accuracy and proven experience in UX or similar fields.
View UX listings here
6. Business analyst
Average salary: $83,142
Among the list of high paying remote jobs is the business analyst. This remote role will involve planning, conducting and analyzing initiatives that a business takes on. The employee will need to have proven technical expertise in evaluating and developing systems and procedures.
View analyst listings here
7. District sales manager
Average salary: $90,000 per year, plus bonus
Experience with developing sales reps to generate new business and expand the customer base will be needed. You will have to be target-driven and your full salary may be dependent on hitting these targets.
View sales manager openings
8. Development operations (DevOps) manager
Average salary: $91,339
This well-paid remote job will involve being part of a team focused on the building and management of applications which are database-driven. These roles will require documented skills and proven experience in the industry.
View open devops roles
9. Customer success engineer
Average salary: $100,000 per year, plus benefits
This is different from being a customer support employee. For this remote role, you will need excellent phone and email communication skills, in addition to an understanding of the engineering and technical parts of the product or company you’re supporting.
View customer success jobs
10. Software developer
Average salary: $115,462
There’s plenty of demand for talented software developers. This role may include troubleshooting and resolving issues, developing products, QA, and performing system updates. Some roles may require a bachelor’s degree.
View openings for developers
Put the remote in remote work
Most popular remote jobs of 2019
There’s a whole host of opportunities for remote candidates but the salaries vary a lot so it’s important to shop around. Let’s look at the most popular jobs in order of low to high salaries for the United States.
[*]Data Entry – According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median salary for data entry roles was $30,930. Often data entry is paid by keystroke or word so be sure to check any proposals carefully.
[*]Customer Support – The national average salary for a Remote Customer Service Representative is $37,221. The price goes up if you’re speaking another language, especially Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese.
[*]Design – Graphic Designers make $50,643 per year on average but this can vary greatly. In-demand designers with plenty of experience often choose to freelance for the flexibility it affords. Read our guide on setting graphic design budget.
[*]Copywriting/Editing – As a writer I can tell you that this will vary a lot based on your skills, experience and the company you work for. The national average salary for a Remote Content Writer is $54,455.
[*]Transcription – If this is your thing, I’d recommend Medical Transcription, which is higher paying at $54,558 a year.
[*]Consulting – The type of consulting and your level of experience will play a role in the salary. However, the national average salary for a Consultant is $88,395 in the U.S.
[*]DevOps – This is one of the higher paying remote jobs, which can earn you on average $91,339 per year.
[*]Software Development – If you’ve got the skills then you will be making on average $115,462 per year.
[*]Translation – A remote translation salary ranges from $26,000 and goes up to $125,000 per year. There is a huge discrepancy, which is often related to the languages you speak and how in-demand or rare they are.
[/ul]
The flexibility to travel is one of remote work’s greatest benefits
Remote work supported from the top, from these top companies
If you’re looking for remote work, it’s very important to find a company that embraces a flexible culture, meaning they don’t mind where you’re based – so long as you meet deadlines and achieve targets. These days, many CEOs and business leaders understand the importance of being flexible in their approach and how this can actually harness productivity. Other companies see an even bigger picture taking environmental factors into consideration.
Here are some insights into remote working from some of the top companies in the world.
Joe Golden – CEO of Collage.com
In a recent interview, Golden explained, “We intentionally set Collage.com up as an all-remote company, and I think it’s been one of our secret weapons. Being totally remote lets us recruit the best employees from anywhere, instead of limiting ourselves to one limited geographic area.
It provides our employees with complete control of their working environment. Most of our team loves working from a home office; some folks love to work at a favorite coffee shop; some like going to coworking spaces. Additionally, by reducing our overhead costs, we’re able to invest even more in our team through great salaries and benefits.
We try to promote collaboration through regular one-on-one and team meetings as a company, so every employee gets to interact with their supervisor and the rest of their team on an extremely frequent basis. We use video conferencing as much as possible so our team gets to actually see each other all the time. (OK, sometimes folks turn off the cameras when they’re working in their pajamas, and that’s okay!)
Twice a year, we fly our entire company to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a few days of fun and strategic planning, which makes it easier to get to know folks in person. We’re able to get important planning done in person, but we also make sure to have a good time.
Michigan has a great food and beer scene, which we certainly take advantage of when meeting!”
Remote work, made even better
Try out the leader in time tracking for remote teams
Richard Branson – Founder and CEO of Virgin
“We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently, whether they are at their desk or in their kitchen. Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will.”
— from ““Remote Working Benefits and Challenges”
Michael Dell — Chairman and CEO of Dell
Dell’s “2020 Legacy of Good” is a strategy that aims to have half of the company’s global workforce working remotely by 2020 – if they choose to do so. According to chairman and CEO Michael Dell, the policy is designed to reduce Dell’s environmental footprint. A company statement explained:
“Technology now allows people to connect anytime, anywhere, to anyone in the world, from almost any device. This is dramatically changing the way people work, facilitating 24/7 collaboration with colleagues who are dispersed across time zones, countries, and continents.”
Osman Khan — Co-founder and CEO of Paddle 8
“In the right roles and with the right people, flex does offer tremendous productivity improvement. It gives people time to process properly, and it gets them out of the office in terms of being bogged down in day-to-day admin. So there is more thought leadership that comes to the table, and that’s where your creativity and innovation come in.”
— from Forbes
Remote work: Myths vs. facts
Remote working allows you to utilize your skills and make a decent living. Many jobs offer the same salary as if you were working full time in an office. Pursuing such a line of work is undoubtedly tempting but if you’re looking for remote positions you may be wondering what those living the ‘remote dream’ have to say about their situation. Are the rumors true, or is remote work a passing fad?
Here are a few insights from those embracing remote positions.
Dara Mouracadé — User Operations Analyst, Pitchworthy
“This summer I had the chance to join Pitchworthy, a wonderfully remote team launching an online platform to build positive innovation and entrepreneurship-driven communities and societies.
Aside from leading their partnership and marketing growth, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with my colleagues on designing the organizational structure and streamlining our processes to remove inefficiencies and improve performance at scale.
Some of our remote tools include Zoom for meetings and Slack for asynchronous conversations and daily check-in updates (stand-up Alice on Slack or 15-minute Zoom call), Airtable, Google Suite, but most importantly, gratitude, passion, and empathy.
In the last six weeks, our team of four has been located in 4 different time zones and managed to launch our first virtual accelerator cycle with eleven idea stage startups from remote locations across Lebanon.
We are based in Beirut with offices at the Beirut Digital District and coworking memberships to Antwork as part of our partnership agreements. However, we hope to be on the move as often as possible as the best opportunities are discovered once you step outside of your comfort zone. That’s exactly what working remotely allows you to do.”
Kelly Pentland — Content Manager, Contentworks Agency
“The agency I work for offers a friendly, remote working environment, a knowledgeable international team, and some interesting writing topics.
Communication is key; especially when working separately from a team. I need to stay in touch with whoever needs to reach me so that we can keep the cogs turning. Because my team can’t see what I am up to, I need to keep them in the loop with the progress I am making or things that are holding me back from reaching a deadline.
Working with a dynamic company means that if you prove yourself you can work your way up.”
Raul Popadineti – Software Engineer, Hubstaff
“For me, the best part about working remotely is the flexibility. If I have to run an errand, I can just do it as long as I get my work done for that day. Whenever I have stuff to do in the evening, I start my day earlier or vice-versa.
Wherever I am, if I have a good phone signal, I can just open my laptop and work, whether that’s in the park, in my car, in a train, at a coworking space or at home. It’s incredible to have this benefit!”
How to find a remote job
If you decide to take the plunge and research remote jobs, there are many online sites that will help you to find the right career. These include:
Power up your workday
Reach your goals faster with time tracking and work management.
Get free demo
Looking for the abbreviated version?
Here’s a neat visual summary highlighting the key points of this guide, created with Visme. Enjoy!
Manage all of your remote work with Hubstaff
While remote work is becoming more and more popular, it’s not always truly efficient. Employee integrity, trust and communication skills all play a huge importance in making remote work truly efficient and great for companies.
This means that, if you can demonstrate reliability, trust and a work ethic, your chances of finding remote employment increases greatly. There are lots of ways you can do this using the Hubstaff software.
Hubstaff is a time tracking software that lets you select the task you’re working on and track how much time you spend on that particular task. Various functions of the Hubstaff software are designed to increase trust with the people you work with.
If you’re a freelancer and work with clients, you can create your invoices with detailed work and task breakdown within a few clicks. Your clients can see exactly what you worked on during the hours you’re invoicing them for. This increases trust and can result in them referring you to others, as well as having proof of your working style and reliability when it comes to discuss raising your pay rates.
If you currently work in a traditional office but are thinking of going remote, Hubstaff is a great way to convince your bosses to let you do it.
The software would give your manager a detailed breakdown of what you worked on during the hours tracked. They can also opt-in to collect screenshots of your work, so they can develop complete trust in what you use the work hours for. There’s also an activity level statistic that lets your bosses see your activity levels without looking at the screenshots.
Once you find your remote position, whether it’s freelance or with a company, it’s absolutely key to get your communication and collaboration with other teammates at 100%. A great way to do this is with another Hubstaff product for team collaboration and project management.
Hubstaff Tasks is designed for teams of all kinds and is especially powerful for remote teams. Create task cards in a Kanban board and communicate about the task under the comment section. Tag the people that you need a response from or if it’s their turn to take over the task. Use checklists to automate workflow and add files to task cards.
While you can do all of this with email, Hubstaff Tasks simply makes all of this much easier, and also has other functions built in to take your productivity to the next level. Use the weekly sprint function to arrange all of your tasks into a backlog, current sprint or future sprint. This makes work straightforward so everyone in the team can see what others are working on.
There’s also an automated daily standup function. This means that as a remote employee, you can increase the communication you have with your employer by always updating them on what you worked on the previous day.
It’s easy to see how different Hubstaff products can help you go remote, stay remote and be more efficient as a remote employee. Start a free trial now to track your time or create a Hubstaff Tasks organization (free for teams of up to 5).
But of course, the main reason we love to telecommute is because we can achieve greater productivity during work hours, which means more time spent with loved ones or pursuing our other interests.
[*]82% of telecommuters reported lower stress levels.
[*]80% of telecommuters report a higher morale, and 69% of telecommuters reported lower absenteeism.
[*]Full-time telecommuters save more than $4,000 each year by spending less on a variety of costs.
[/ul]So, if you’re thinking about a move to that highly coveted work from home flexibility, how do you begin?
Finding remote work: Know your skill set
First, you need to know how your skill set matches up with the most popular work-from-home jobs. It’s a given that your basic digital communication skills need to be up to par. That means the ability to use Skype, email and the Office suite. You may also find that your chosen company uses remote team management software, too. Much like Hubstaff or one of the many remote monitoring programs. Ask yourself:
This could be your officeTop 10 Highest Paid Online Jobs
As reported by Glassdoor, in order of annual salary.
1. Marketing manager
Average salary: $63,250
If you have a good working knowledge of B2B, content, & technology marketing then you might be suited for a remote role as a marketing manager. Duties may include developing a marketing plan, designing campaigns, managing other remote team members, executing campaigns and analyzing them.
View listings for marketing managers
2. Forensic computer analyst
Average salary: $70,155
Candidates in this role are usually expected to deliver support to more senior-level team members, conduct forensic data collection and perform detailed forensic analyses. Being a CSI fan isn’t enough, you must have one or more IT security or forensics security certifications.
View listings here
3. Attorney
Average salary: $81,439
At one point or another, companies will seek legal help for either starting or running their business. Remote companies are no different. This position will involve providing legal support and assistance to clients, case management, employment law, and depositions.
View listings here
4. IT manager
Average salary: $82,054
If you want to land a high paying remote position as an IT manager, you will probably need tangible experience working with certain programs and systems. Qualifications are less important than your ability to prove a successful history and an aptitude for required tasks.
View available IT roles
5. User experience researcher
Average salary: $82,865
Researchers will need to understand the needs of the company’s users and translate these into requirements for product and marketing efforts. This requires a high degree of organization, accuracy and proven experience in UX or similar fields.
View UX listings here
6. Business analyst
Average salary: $83,142
Among the list of high paying remote jobs is the business analyst. This remote role will involve planning, conducting and analyzing initiatives that a business takes on. The employee will need to have proven technical expertise in evaluating and developing systems and procedures.
View analyst listings here
7. District sales manager
Average salary: $90,000 per year, plus bonus
Experience with developing sales reps to generate new business and expand the customer base will be needed. You will have to be target-driven and your full salary may be dependent on hitting these targets.
View sales manager openings
8. Development operations (DevOps) manager
Average salary: $91,339
This well-paid remote job will involve being part of a team focused on the building and management of applications which are database-driven. These roles will require documented skills and proven experience in the industry.
View open devops roles
9. Customer success engineer
Average salary: $100,000 per year, plus benefits
This is different from being a customer support employee. For this remote role, you will need excellent phone and email communication skills, in addition to an understanding of the engineering and technical parts of the product or company you’re supporting.
View customer success jobs
10. Software developer
Average salary: $115,462
There’s plenty of demand for talented software developers. This role may include troubleshooting and resolving issues, developing products, QA, and performing system updates. Some roles may require a bachelor’s degree.
View openings for developers
Put the remote in remote workMost popular remote jobs of 2019
There’s a whole host of opportunities for remote candidates but the salaries vary a lot so it’s important to shop around. Let’s look at the most popular jobs in order of low to high salaries for the United States.
[*]Data Entry – According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual median salary for data entry roles was $30,930. Often data entry is paid by keystroke or word so be sure to check any proposals carefully.
[*]Customer Support – The national average salary for a Remote Customer Service Representative is $37,221. The price goes up if you’re speaking another language, especially Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese.
[*]Design – Graphic Designers make $50,643 per year on average but this can vary greatly. In-demand designers with plenty of experience often choose to freelance for the flexibility it affords. Read our guide on setting graphic design budget.
[*]Copywriting/Editing – As a writer I can tell you that this will vary a lot based on your skills, experience and the company you work for. The national average salary for a Remote Content Writer is $54,455.
[*]Transcription – If this is your thing, I’d recommend Medical Transcription, which is higher paying at $54,558 a year.
[*]Consulting – The type of consulting and your level of experience will play a role in the salary. However, the national average salary for a Consultant is $88,395 in the U.S.
[*]DevOps – This is one of the higher paying remote jobs, which can earn you on average $91,339 per year.
[*]Software Development – If you’ve got the skills then you will be making on average $115,462 per year.
[*]Translation – A remote translation salary ranges from $26,000 and goes up to $125,000 per year. There is a huge discrepancy, which is often related to the languages you speak and how in-demand or rare they are.
[/ul]
The flexibility to travel is one of remote work’s greatest benefitsRemote work supported from the top, from these top companies
If you’re looking for remote work, it’s very important to find a company that embraces a flexible culture, meaning they don’t mind where you’re based – so long as you meet deadlines and achieve targets. These days, many CEOs and business leaders understand the importance of being flexible in their approach and how this can actually harness productivity. Other companies see an even bigger picture taking environmental factors into consideration.
Here are some insights into remote working from some of the top companies in the world.
Joe Golden – CEO of Collage.com
In a recent interview, Golden explained, “We intentionally set Collage.com up as an all-remote company, and I think it’s been one of our secret weapons. Being totally remote lets us recruit the best employees from anywhere, instead of limiting ourselves to one limited geographic area.
It provides our employees with complete control of their working environment. Most of our team loves working from a home office; some folks love to work at a favorite coffee shop; some like going to coworking spaces. Additionally, by reducing our overhead costs, we’re able to invest even more in our team through great salaries and benefits.
We try to promote collaboration through regular one-on-one and team meetings as a company, so every employee gets to interact with their supervisor and the rest of their team on an extremely frequent basis. We use video conferencing as much as possible so our team gets to actually see each other all the time. (OK, sometimes folks turn off the cameras when they’re working in their pajamas, and that’s okay!)
Twice a year, we fly our entire company to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a few days of fun and strategic planning, which makes it easier to get to know folks in person. We’re able to get important planning done in person, but we also make sure to have a good time.
Michigan has a great food and beer scene, which we certainly take advantage of when meeting!”
Remote work, made even better
Try out the leader in time tracking for remote teams
Richard Branson – Founder and CEO of Virgin
“We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently, whether they are at their desk or in their kitchen. Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will.”
— from ““Remote Working Benefits and Challenges”
Michael Dell — Chairman and CEO of Dell
Dell’s “2020 Legacy of Good” is a strategy that aims to have half of the company’s global workforce working remotely by 2020 – if they choose to do so. According to chairman and CEO Michael Dell, the policy is designed to reduce Dell’s environmental footprint. A company statement explained:
“Technology now allows people to connect anytime, anywhere, to anyone in the world, from almost any device. This is dramatically changing the way people work, facilitating 24/7 collaboration with colleagues who are dispersed across time zones, countries, and continents.”
Osman Khan — Co-founder and CEO of Paddle 8
“In the right roles and with the right people, flex does offer tremendous productivity improvement. It gives people time to process properly, and it gets them out of the office in terms of being bogged down in day-to-day admin. So there is more thought leadership that comes to the table, and that’s where your creativity and innovation come in.”
— from Forbes
Remote work: Myths vs. facts
Remote working allows you to utilize your skills and make a decent living. Many jobs offer the same salary as if you were working full time in an office. Pursuing such a line of work is undoubtedly tempting but if you’re looking for remote positions you may be wondering what those living the ‘remote dream’ have to say about their situation. Are the rumors true, or is remote work a passing fad?
Here are a few insights from those embracing remote positions.
Dara Mouracadé — User Operations Analyst, Pitchworthy“This summer I had the chance to join Pitchworthy, a wonderfully remote team launching an online platform to build positive innovation and entrepreneurship-driven communities and societies.
Aside from leading their partnership and marketing growth, I’ve had the chance to collaborate with my colleagues on designing the organizational structure and streamlining our processes to remove inefficiencies and improve performance at scale.
Some of our remote tools include Zoom for meetings and Slack for asynchronous conversations and daily check-in updates (stand-up Alice on Slack or 15-minute Zoom call), Airtable, Google Suite, but most importantly, gratitude, passion, and empathy.
In the last six weeks, our team of four has been located in 4 different time zones and managed to launch our first virtual accelerator cycle with eleven idea stage startups from remote locations across Lebanon.
We are based in Beirut with offices at the Beirut Digital District and coworking memberships to Antwork as part of our partnership agreements. However, we hope to be on the move as often as possible as the best opportunities are discovered once you step outside of your comfort zone. That’s exactly what working remotely allows you to do.”
Kelly Pentland — Content Manager, Contentworks Agency
“The agency I work for offers a friendly, remote working environment, a knowledgeable international team, and some interesting writing topics.
Communication is key; especially when working separately from a team. I need to stay in touch with whoever needs to reach me so that we can keep the cogs turning. Because my team can’t see what I am up to, I need to keep them in the loop with the progress I am making or things that are holding me back from reaching a deadline.
Working with a dynamic company means that if you prove yourself you can work your way up.”
Raul Popadineti – Software Engineer, Hubstaff“For me, the best part about working remotely is the flexibility. If I have to run an errand, I can just do it as long as I get my work done for that day. Whenever I have stuff to do in the evening, I start my day earlier or vice-versa.
Wherever I am, if I have a good phone signal, I can just open my laptop and work, whether that’s in the park, in my car, in a train, at a coworking space or at home. It’s incredible to have this benefit!”
How to find a remote job
If you decide to take the plunge and research remote jobs, there are many online sites that will help you to find the right career. These include:
Power up your workday
Reach your goals faster with time tracking and work management.
Get free demo
Looking for the abbreviated version?
Here’s a neat visual summary highlighting the key points of this guide, created with Visme. Enjoy!
Manage all of your remote work with Hubstaff
While remote work is becoming more and more popular, it’s not always truly efficient. Employee integrity, trust and communication skills all play a huge importance in making remote work truly efficient and great for companies.
This means that, if you can demonstrate reliability, trust and a work ethic, your chances of finding remote employment increases greatly. There are lots of ways you can do this using the Hubstaff software.
Hubstaff is a time tracking software that lets you select the task you’re working on and track how much time you spend on that particular task. Various functions of the Hubstaff software are designed to increase trust with the people you work with.
If you’re a freelancer and work with clients, you can create your invoices with detailed work and task breakdown within a few clicks. Your clients can see exactly what you worked on during the hours you’re invoicing them for. This increases trust and can result in them referring you to others, as well as having proof of your working style and reliability when it comes to discuss raising your pay rates.
If you currently work in a traditional office but are thinking of going remote, Hubstaff is a great way to convince your bosses to let you do it.
The software would give your manager a detailed breakdown of what you worked on during the hours tracked. They can also opt-in to collect screenshots of your work, so they can develop complete trust in what you use the work hours for. There’s also an activity level statistic that lets your bosses see your activity levels without looking at the screenshots.
Once you find your remote position, whether it’s freelance or with a company, it’s absolutely key to get your communication and collaboration with other teammates at 100%. A great way to do this is with another Hubstaff product for team collaboration and project management.
Hubstaff Tasks is designed for teams of all kinds and is especially powerful for remote teams. Create task cards in a Kanban board and communicate about the task under the comment section. Tag the people that you need a response from or if it’s their turn to take over the task. Use checklists to automate workflow and add files to task cards.
While you can do all of this with email, Hubstaff Tasks simply makes all of this much easier, and also has other functions built in to take your productivity to the next level. Use the weekly sprint function to arrange all of your tasks into a backlog, current sprint or future sprint. This makes work straightforward so everyone in the team can see what others are working on.
There’s also an automated daily standup function. This means that as a remote employee, you can increase the communication you have with your employer by always updating them on what you worked on the previous day.
It’s easy to see how different Hubstaff products can help you go remote, stay remote and be more efficient as a remote employee. Start a free trial now to track your time or create a Hubstaff Tasks organization (free for teams of up to 5).