Thanks to leaps in technology, the best practices for becoming a better boss nowadays have a different list of bullet points.  Because the details have changed for those on your virtual team, a boss nowadays must adapt to those differences.  Consequently, details that were taken for granted have become more pronounced for those managing distance workers.  Let’s take a look at those differences.

Communication

When working together was face-to-face, casual conversation could take place by walking past someone’s desk or passing each other in the hallway.  Should a question arise, a team member could see with a glance whether or not you were in your office and if you were busy.  A closed door often was a message in itself.  A quick gesture would let the employee know that you’d get back to them once you were available.  Your team members knew that their questions or comments would be heard then. They rarely had to wait long.

Often remote team members feel as if they are definitely that – remote. Even though working in their own environment has its pluses, better bosses need to be especially conscientious about keeping in touch or the minuses begin to surface.  Let them know on a daily basis when you are available for questions or calls.  Consistently scheduled meetings also help keep your team anchored and connected.  One research study determined that Tuesday early afternoon was the ideal time to schedule a weekly meeting.  What day and time would work best for you?

Distractions

When you’ve got your team in one office space, you can easily see who is working and who is not.  When they are all working from home offices, however, that’s not possible unless you have a home camera trained upon their work desk!  Some will argue that there are more distractions when the team works together onsite – people popping by or taking smoke breaks or catching up in the staff lounge.  

Others will tell you that they have trouble focusing at home. They think about starting a load of clothes or getting a snack from the kitchen or taking that personal call.  It’s a challenge for you to make certain that your team is accountable for its time on the clock.  What do you or can you do to have them be more mindful of their tasks?  How does your team track its hours?

Training

Back in the day of cufflinks and typewriters, training was face-to-face, sometimes onsite and other times at a remote location.  The sessions often inspired camaraderie as team members got to know each other.  Nowadays, most training is remote, and team members often live in other places – sometimes in other countries.  

These days, however, your team does not need to gather together for synchronous training.  Depending on the format, they often can work at their own pace.  If they didn’t catch something in the recorded training session the first time around, they can replay it.  You also now have access to many more talented trainers with no geographical constraints.  Training no longer needs to include the expense of travel and lodging.  What sort of training does your team currently need?  What tool or resource do you have in place so that you can provide remote training?

All in All

We’ve become accustomed to working alone – remotely – in all senses of the word – geographically, psychologically, and technologically.  There certainly are differences because of this.  As the boss of your team, your job is made easier when you make use of technological advances.  For instance, wouldn’t it be efficient to have your own app that you could share with your team?  An app where you could train your team remotely and store your video presentations for the next generation of team members?  

We have the app for you!  Business Glu.  With the Business Glu app, you’ll have a better way of delivering training and messaging with your team.  You can add and deliver content 24/7 for your prospects and your team members.  Your real-time messages can be delivered right to their phones.  You can check on their progress by seeing who has completed which training module.  

Learn more. Contact us for a demo, and we’ll gladly show you how Business Glu can help you help your virtual team. Add to the advantages of working with a remote team by adding Glu to the formula – Business Glu.  This team software helps teams and leaders grow!  Give it a try, and you’ll see the changes that can be made to be an even better virtual boss.