The Soft Skills That Grow (and Shrink) When You Work from Home

For many, remote work has redefined the modern workplace, from where we do our jobs, to how we develop critical professional skills. The truth is, some skills get sharper, but others may atrophy without regular use. Here’s how to keep those skills strong no matter where you log in from.

Soft Skills That May Suffer

The Ability to “Read the Room”

Working remotely can dull your ability to read tone, interpret body language, or spot when a coworker is confused, stressed, or disengaged. This is especially true if you have no prior experience working in person.

Certain social cues are harder to pick up on through screens, which means remote workers may miss emotional dynamics that are critical to building bonds with coworkers and management, as well as dealing with clients.

Conflict Management

Disagreements are a normal part of collaboration, but resolving them over Slack or email is tricky. In person, you can talk things out more casually, while messages sent in chat can sometimes be misconstrued.

Along with this, remote workers may risk avoiding conflict altogether, which can have a negative impact on their team or leave issues unresolved longer than necessary.

Real-Time Collaboration

Team brainstorming, spontaneous problem solving, or hallway check-ins happen less often in remote work scenarios. The result of this is that early-career professionals may struggle with quick decision making or feel less confident contributing without structured time.

Soft Skills That Improve

Written Communication

Working remotely forces many people to get better at writing clearly, concisely, and professionally. From daily updates to meeting summaries, everything you say leaves a paper (or digital) trail, so you’ll learn how to be more thoughtful with your words.

Improved written communication makes for better client emails, internal reports, and everything in between. As a bonus, your new and improved writing skills will be a great benefit for when the time comes to spruce up your resume.

Time Management

When there’s no one supervising your work or looking over your shoulder, you’ll have no choice but to become your own supervisor. That’s right—you’ll have no choice but to learn how to self-prioritize, block out your calendar, and set aside focus time.

Indeed, remote workers are the masters of their own time. Taking on this responsibility is a major upgrade and the ability to manage your own time will serve you well in your career, your life, and in the event you wind up back in the office later on.

Accountability

Building off of our last entry, remote work makes people more accountable for their actions (or lack thereof). Without direct, in-person supervision, showing your value takes extra effort. If you’re willing to put yourself out there, you’ll demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence.

When working remotely, take the time to check in proactively, document results from tasks or projects, and communicate the things you’ve gotten done. This will help you form good habits in self-management and personal responsibility.

Adaptability

This is a big one. Remote work forces people to deal with different time zones, tech hiccups, and more meetings to check in or deal with issues, among other challenges.

Working through these issues strengthens your ability to pivot, improvise, and keep your momentum going even when things go sideways—skills that all employers value. You’ll also be demonstrating leadership qualities, which might pay off when it’s time for raises or promotions.

Putting it All Together

So, how can you develop (or keep) critical skills in a remote setting? Simply put, the best way is by building them with intention.

Let’s say you’re worried that your verbal communication skills are suffering due to working from home. Here, you should volunteer to present in a meeting or lead a call. Even speaking up more often during Zoom calls will help keep your skills sharp.

If you’re concerned that your hard work isn’t getting the visibility it deserves, consider sending weekly updates to your supervisor. Along with this, offer to help during slow periods and try asking for new projects to work on. Your boss will be impressed with your ability to take the initiative, and that’s always a good thing.

Getting a read on how things are going in the organization while working remotely can be tough. When we say this, we mean the overall “feel” of the day-to-day. Consider scheduling casual check-ins with your teammates to ask how they’re doing, and do your best to read the tone of meetings carefully.

As we said earlier, conflict management can be a challenge when working remotely. Don’t let any tension sit; instead, ask for a quick call to talk it out if there’s a problem. In most cases, issues can be easily resolved through open and honest communication.

For Interns and Entry-Level Employees

If you’re early on in your career, remote work might limit access to passive or informal learning. For example, when in person you might overhear how a senior teammate handled a tricky client call.

Remote workers should consider asking to shadow an experienced colleague during a virtual meeting if they’re unsure about something. By watching someone more experienced, you can get an idea of how to deal with complex or otherwise difficult situations.

Always take notes, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Rather than waiting to learn, be proactive and seek learning opportunities. Lastly, if you’re not sure where you stand with your manager or your team, ask for feedback. This self-awareness and follow-through builds trust and helps you grow faster, especially in a remote setting.

Whether you work remotely or in person, soft skills are incredibly important. It's important to remember that remote and hybrid models demand a proactive and communicative style of work. Being self-aware will help you understand which skills will improve from frequent use, and which ones will be more challenging in a remote setting.

Rob Porter is an editor at Vault.