When you are managing a team of virtual employees or hire remote staff, make sure you have proper communication and trust within the team. Here are the 8 best practices that you can follow to improve remote communications. When you are managing a team of virtual employees or hire remote staff, make sure you have proper communication and trust within the team. It is more likely that you have team members from all across the globe who follow different time zones. In that case, it can be a little difficult to keep a check on everybody, every time. All the members of the team can be working on different projects while having a unique working style. However, when you have employees working remotely, the dynamics can be somewhat unique. If you have a closely-knit team that requires discussions over certain projects, then you would need some effective remote communication tips to improve productivity and deliver results. So, here are the 8 best practices that you can follow to improve remote communications:1. Build a cooperative company culture, and effectively convey shared qualitiesEverybody likes to feel that they are a part of something bigger and better, that their efforts serve a purpose, with a more effective vision. Pay attention to these characteristic qualities of your virtual employees, and reliably communicate them within the team. 2. Plan team meetings and regular callsFor some virtual employees, communicating face to face is very important. Be it exchanging ideas or giving and receiving updates, they need to have a face to face interaction, even if that is over a video call. In that case, video conferencing apps like Skype and Zoom make these communications easier when working remotely. 3. Keep project resources in one place to save timeOne advantage of utilising project management software is that it keeps all things required for an ongoing project composed in the cloud. You can make a committed space, sheets, documents for various projects so it becomes easier for each individual to find out what information they are looking for, easily and effortlessly. By doing this, it will not only save time but increase productivity as well. 4. Manage expectations with projects and deadlinesWhen virtual employees are clear about the work they need to do, it is a lot simpler to eliminate any sort of unnecessary discussions and increases productivity. When there are deadlines, it encourages team members to manage time, prioritize the work, and submit the work before the due date. 5. Anticipate good intentionsThere are fairly high chances of misunderstandings when communicating remotely. Without being able to see the expressions and gestures, it is easy to misunderstand the intentions. More so, when most of the communication is happening through emails, chats, and texts. Urge your virtual employees to anticipate the best of intentions even when the communication style varies from person to person. Also, it is always better to have a conversation instead of misinterpreting. 6. Make it easy for your team to talk to youImagine that you are a senior manager working with a large group of virtual employees, and one employee wants to have a conversation with you. In that case, if they convey that to the team lead, then it goes to the Assistant Manager, then 2-3 people in between before it reaches out to you. That is a lot of time wasted.On the other hand, if the virtual employees have the liberty to direct mail or text you, it will be a lot simpler and convenient. 7. Spare time for some easy-going and not work-related activities If all the communications between the virtual employees are work-related, there is a huge chance that the team will lack trust and credibility in each other. Save time from work to conduct some fun activities, even if it is for 30 minutes. It will not only help the employees know each other but also gain mutual trust. A remote staffing company can easily help you find the right staff. 8. Celebrate successesTo keep virtual employees engaged and inspired, appreciating little successes is important. Encourage your team to also congratulate each other on successes small or big. Acknowledgment and appreciation go far in building up associations and empowering cooperation.Bottom Line:So, these are a few remote communication tips that you can practice to improve communication when working with a virtual team. In case you hire remote staff, these tips will help you encourage real connections between you and your virtual employees. |#|_#|{"ops":[{"insert":"When you are managing a team of virtual employees or hire remote staff, make sure you have proper communication and trust within the team. It is more likely that you have team members from all across the globe who follow different time zones. In that case, it can be a little difficult to keep a check on everybody, every time. All the members of the team can be working on different projects while having a unique working style. \n\nHowever, when you have employees working remotely, the dynamics can be somewhat unique. If you have a closely-knit team that requires discussions over certain projects, then you would need some effective remote communication tips to improve productivity and deliver results. \n\nSo, here are the 8 best practices that you can follow to improve remote communications:\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"1. Build a cooperative company culture, and effectively convey shared qualities"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nEverybody likes to feel that they are a part of something bigger and better, that their efforts serve a purpose, with a more effective vision. Pay attention to these characteristic qualities of your virtual employees, and reliably communicate them within the team. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"2. Plan team meetings and regular calls"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nFor some virtual employees, communicating face to face is very important. Be it exchanging ideas or giving and receiving updates, they need to have a face to face interaction, even if that is over a video call. In that case, video conferencing apps like Skype and Zoom make these communications easier when working remotely. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"3. Keep project resources in one place to save time"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nOne advantage of utilising project management software is that it keeps all things required for an ongoing project composed in the cloud. You can make a committed space, sheets, documents for various projects so it becomes easier for each individual to find out what information they are looking for, easily and effortlessly. By doing this, it will not only save time but increase productivity as well. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"4. Manage expectations with projects and deadlines"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWhen virtual employees are clear about the work they need to do, it is a lot simpler to eliminate any sort of unnecessary discussions and increases productivity. When there are deadlines, it encourages team members to manage time, prioritize the work, and submit the work before the due date. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"5. Anticipate good intentions"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThere are fairly high chances of misunderstandings when communicating remotely. Without being able to see the expressions and gestures, it is easy to misunderstand the intentions. More so, when most of the communication is happening through emails, chats, and texts. Urge your virtual employees to anticipate the best of intentions even when the communication style varies from person to person. Also, it is always better to have a conversation instead of misinterpreting. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"6. Make it easy for your team to talk to you"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nImagine that you are a senior manager working with a large group of virtual employees, and one employee wants to have a conversation with you. In that case, if they convey that to the team lead, then it goes to the Assistant Manager, then 2-3 people in between before it reaches out to you. That is a lot of time wasted.\nOn the other hand, if the virtual employees have the liberty to direct mail or text you, it will be a lot simpler and convenient. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"7. Spare time for some easy-going and not work-related activities"},{"insert":" "},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nIf all the communications between the virtual employees are work-related, there is a huge chance that the team will lack trust and credibility in each other. Save time from work to conduct some fun activities, even if it is for 30 minutes. It will not only help the employees know each other but also gain mutual trust. A remote staffing company can easily help you find the right staff. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"8. Celebrate successes"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nTo keep virtual employees engaged and inspired, appreciating little successes is important. Encourage your team to also congratulate each other on successes small or big. Acknowledgment and appreciation go far in building up associations and empowering cooperation.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0066ff"},"insert":"Bottom Line:"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nSo, these are a few remote communication tips that you can practice to improve communication when working with a virtual team. In case you "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.virtualemployee.com/hire-remote-staff"},"insert":"hire remote staff"},{"insert":", these tips will help you encourage real connections between you and your virtual employees.