Today’s economy is really giving the Virtual workforce a boost. Many companies are allowing employees to work from home several days a week and freelance workers are gaining popularity as businesses are cutting down on office space, equipment and headcount.
Telecommuting has many benefits to the employee, employer and the environment. Some of the benefits include flexibility to parents in regards to daycare costs and to commuters who are sick of paying countless dollars in gas every week. Telecommuting also has been reported to greatly reduce employee absenteeism and increase overall satisfaction. It’s no wonder many organizations are instituting telecommuting pilot projects!
While the benefits are high, virtual workforces are very new and therefore very scary to the employer who is used to physically seeing employees and their work habits on a daily basis. There are many questions and concerns, which is a given when a new concept is introduced, however this doesn’t mean it cannot work, and work very well!
Telecommuting is consistently being proven that it can indeed work. Here are some tips to successfully work with a virtual workforce.
Establish Trust
Without trust, a virtual workforce simply won’t work. On the other hand, without trust, offices are hard to work in. Management simply must trust that the employees they found competent enough to hire after the interview, are also competent to complete assignments on their own and on time.
Managers in charge of virtual workforces should also understand that working remotely does not mean that the employee is reachable at all times. The same hours that would apply in the office should apply virtually.
Setting clear expectations and an open relationship between manager and employee will help maintain trust and therefore create a productive environment and successful team.
Essential Technology is Necessary
Having the right technology available is an integral part to the success of a virtual workforce.
Staff and management must stay connected and communicate effectively. Video conference via the internet is extremely useful. Such webinar software as MegaMeeting, and Polycom provide full service video conference and VOIP services. If the budget is tight, Skype is also a useful service for video conferencing.
Skype and Polycom are extremely valuable for teleconferencing. They both use Voice Over I.P. (VOIP) systems and are therefore extremely affordable.
Other tools that are essential to the success of a virtual workforce are the standard Microsoft Office products such as PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook or Lotus Notes. It is also extremely easy to keep in touch with free messenger services such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and IBM Lotus Sametime.
Training and Support
Since the virtual office is such a new concept, many employers and employees are not sure how to create the proper structure or manual for their virtual business. With any introduction to new technology, training is essential when an entire office team is expected to learn and develop new skills. It also increases employee morale and boosts trust between management and employee, both qualities are vital to a virtual workforce.
Caroline Pigott is a freelance writer and owner of a Virtual Assisting firm, VIP Assistant Solutions. Please look at her website for additional information http://www.vipassistantsolutions.com.
Author: Caroline Pigott
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electric Pressure Cooker
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