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Fast Company
6 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
How to convince your boss that you're productive working from home
Half of remote workers run errands on the clock, and over a quarter skip full days altogether—so it's no surprise some bosses have grown wary of their employees working from home. But that doesn't mean remote work doesn't work. We're all different. While some people thrive while surrounded by colleagues, others excel in the quiet and comfort of their home office. Most employers will recognize that rigid rules won't produce optimal results, but convincing your boss that the office isn't the right environment for you will still take some hard work: managing your time, delivering consistently, and giving it your all. Here's how you can demonstrate that while remote working might not work for everyone, it is working for you: 1. Quantify your productivity Most remote workers don't manage eight hours of focused work—but neither do those in the office. From chitchat between colleagues to frequent coffee breaks, there are constant distractions. You just need to prove to your boss that you're not spending all of your time running errands and watching Netflix. Work flow tracking apps—such as Rize or Toggl Track—are a great way to quantify your productivity. Integrating with hundreds of common tools and automatically tracking your activity across your apps and browser, you can effortlessly create reports showing what you've done, when, and how long it took. With the right data, you can prove that you're actually achieving more from the solace of your home office. 2. Respond with strategic urgency You might mute your notifications to focus, but to your boss, this silence is suspicious. Are you getting on with your to-do list or running errands, having found a way to trick the employee tracking system? You don't need to live on Slack, but be ready to respond to urgent requests, whether for critical issues or deadlines that can't wait. It's not about being constantly available; it's about being reliably responsive. 3. Highlight 'invisible' tasks When working remotely, your behind-the-scenes efforts often go unnoticed. Nobody sees you supporting your junior colleagues, updating spreadsheets, or fixing broken processes, but that doesn't mean they aren't important. Don't let your impact slip under the radar. During check-ins, highlight all your contributions with confidence—not as 'small tasks' but as essential work that keeps the office ticking over smoothly. 4. Bring energy to every meeting If you're half awake, barely dressed, and mumbling through early morning meetings, your boss will assume that's your default setting. You might work from home, but you still need to show up. Get out of bed, jump in the shower, and put on something workplace-appropriate—you need to show you mean business. When your manager might only see you for 15 minutes a day, making the right impression makes all the difference. 5. Present your progress Your boss can't see you glued to your screen or tapping your keyboard. For all they know, you're heading to the shops or learning how to bake the second you switch your camera off. Telling them you've been busy is one thing, but showing them? There's no arguing with evidence. Start the week with a Zoom call to define your goals, share your screen, and walk them through what you've been doing. Log them in a tracking tool such as Weekdone or Teamwork, and end the week with a visual report that shows just how hard you've been working. Over time, that visibility and transparency will build trust—and your boss will stop worrying about what you're working on and where you're working from. 6. Share your schedule If you want to build trust, transparency is the fastest way to earn it. Most calendar apps will let you share your schedule with your boss, which nips any doubt about where you are or what you're doing in the bud. If your calendar is full of team meetings and client calls, there's no question whether you're deep in your workload or buried under your duvet. But you need time to work, too, and you should block it off just as you would an important call. Just avoid vague labels such as 'focus time.' Be specific and make it goal-oriented—'Brainstorming: Q2 marketing ' or 'Writing: Leadership blog post'—so your boss isn't second-guessing whether you're really at your desk. 7. Beat your deadlines Do you constantly deliver work with seconds to spare before the deadline? At best, your boss will assume that you're managing your time poorly while working remotely. At worst, they'll suspect you're deliberately holding back finished tasks to sneak in some extra downtime. The best way to squash these doubts? Deliver work before it's due. You don't need to keep ahead of your schedule constantly. However, the occasional early delivery tells your boss you're working autonomously effectively and wouldn't benefit from them hovering over your shoulder. 8. Use saved time to upskill You could hit snooze and sleep away all that time you're saving by not having to commute, or you could invest that time in yourself. What challenges are slowing your team down, and which skills are in short supply? By filling those gaps, you're not just benefiting your own career but providing additional value to your boss—which will make them more accepting of your remote setup. If they're still not convinced? Well, your sharpened skill set will open doors to companies that recognize and value the benefits of remote working. If you're clocking in, doing the bare minimum, and then sneaking out to run errands, your boss has every right to be concerned. But if you're putting in the effort and producing the results? Any doubts about the effectiveness of your remote working setup will fade fast. No decent boss wants to force you back into an environment that stifles your productivity—they simply want to ensure you aren't spending your workday on social media, shopping, and catching up on sleep.
Time Business News
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Best Timesheet Apps for Optimizing Billable Hours
Time management is crucial for businesses that rely on billable hours to generate revenue. Efficient time tracking of work hours not only ensures accurate client billing but also helps in identifying productivity patterns, managing projects, and maintaining financial health. This post explores some of the best timesheet apps that can significantly optimize billable hours, streamline workflows, and enhance overall productivity. Toggl Track is a user-friendly timesheet app that allows professionals to track work hours effortlessly. It features a simple interface, robust reporting capabilities, and integration with various project management tools. Users can create detailed reports, set hourly rates, and monitor project budgets. Toggl Track also provides idle time detection, reminders, and automated timesheet generation, making it a valuable asset for agencies, freelancers, and businesses looking to maximize billable hours. Clockify is a free timesheet and time-tracking app that offers unlimited tracking for individuals and teams. It supports manual and automatic time entries, making it easy to log work hours accurately. With advanced features like project tracking, invoicing, and detailed reporting, Clockify helps businesses manage multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring precise billing. Additionally, its integration with popular apps like Asana, Trello, and Slack enhances workflow management and time tracking efficiency. Harvest is an all-in-one time tracking and invoicing tool designed to streamline billing and project management. It allows users to track time for specific tasks, generate invoices, and monitor project budgets in real time. Harvest also integrates seamlessly with various tools such as QuickBooks, Asana, and Slack, making it easier to manage client projects and optimize billable hours. With comprehensive reporting features, users can assess project profitability and identify areas for improvement. Hubstaff is a powerful time-tracking tool that offers detailed insights into employee productivity. It includes features like GPS tracking, online timesheets, and screenshot monitoring, making it ideal for remote teams and businesses with field employees. Hubstaff also enables project managers to allocate tasks, monitor project progress, and generate accurate invoices based on tracked hours. By providing transparency and accountability, Hubstaff helps businesses maintain control over billable hours effectively. TimeCamp is a versatile time tracking software that offers both automatic and manual time entry options. It categorizes tracked hours by project, client, or task, allowing businesses to monitor billable and non-billable hours efficiently. TimeCamp also features productivity tracking, invoicing, and comprehensive reporting to help businesses assess profitability and optimize workflow. Its integrations with project management tools like Trello and further enhance project tracking capabilities. FreshBooks is a cloud-based accounting and invoicing solution that includes time tracking as one of its core features. Users can log hours, track expenses, and create professional invoices with ease. FreshBooks also provides real-time insights into project profitability, allowing businesses to adjust budgets and billing rates accordingly. Its mobile app ensures that users can track billable hours on the go, making it a convenient choice for freelancers and small businesses. Choosing the right timesheet app can significantly impact a business's ability to optimize billable hours and manage projects effectively. Whether you are a freelancer, a small business owner, or part of a larger team, investing in a reliable time tracking solution can streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and improve financial management. Consider your specific needs, such as integration capabilities, reporting features, and ease of use, when selecting the best timesheet app for your business. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
