According to Telecommunity Trend Data published by Global Workplace Analytics:
- Work-from-home positions have grown 140% since 2005, which is nearly 10 times faster than the rest of the workforce or the self-employed.
- 3.2% of the workforce now works from home, at least part-time.
- 80 to 90% of the US workforce says they have the desire to work remotely at least part-time.
With statistics like these, it’s clear to see that the remote workforce is exploding, which is fantastic for the military spouse community, since we are more likely to be able to retain our remote employment through a PCS, deployment, or other change in circumstances.
However, many people new to the remote-work community report that they have one hangup: how they should dress for meetings they’ll be attending remotely. I sat down with Anne Schons, the Director of People Operations at Instant Teams, a start-up that focuses on matching the military community with remote-based job opportunities, to get plenty of advice on how to dress for a remote meeting.
Know who else will be attending
“I’ve never followed the convention that you need to dress formally from head to toe to get in the mindset, but I can see how some people might find that necessary. I dress to the occasion, as we do in a traditional office. Regular meeting with a peer? I throw on a tee. Partner meetings? I go more formal and even change to a better backdrop, mic, and lighting that I have set up outside of my regular workspace,” says Schons.
Going halfsies
It is also common for those in the community to joke about how they wear pajamas to work often, and some have even admitted to wearing comfy pants with a dress shirt for remote meetings. This is common because webcams obviously only show whatever is within the frame, so unless you stand up, your colleagues will never know that you’re wearing your awesome (and super comfortable) yoga pants to work!
Pay attention to the details
Anne explains, “In a video call your presentation is so small that certain accessories or clothing choices won’t show up or may look odd if they can only see part of it. I keep my gestures a bit more centralized as well to keep them in the video box. It’s a learning process.”
You may also want to pay attention to how patterns will appear while using a webcam. I prefer to use an app, such as Photo Booth, to get an idea on what to expect with my clothing choices and how I will appear on video.
Your background matters
We’re not talking about your job history here – where you physically decide to join the meeting from can make a difference. You want to choose a setting that is peaceful and appears to be professional. Many people dedicate a corner of a room for this and while that corner appears to be professional and aesthetically pleasing within the frame shot of the webcam, it can sometimes look like a tornado went through the remainder of the room (this especially applies to dual-working parents.)
Leave the bangles behind
While bright colors are more of a matter of personal preference, the noise that your accessories and even your keyboard might make are not. “Bangles or rings can be extraordinarily loud as you type or move your hands because they’re so close to the computer mic,” Schons explains. The best thing you can do? Avoid these types of accessories and make sure to put your mic on mute until it’s your turn to talk during your meeting to avoid picking up these types of sounds.
