8 Tips to Help You Manage a High-Performing Virtual Team

Every business is eager to build a group of high-performing professionals, but the task is much more challenging if you are running a remote team. After all, this type of work eliminates everyday face-to-face conversations and quick chats that help most managers solve minor issues and discuss major projects on the go.

According to the report, 84% of respondents claim virtual communication is more difficult than in-person communication, while nearly 90% of online teams typically include at least two cultures. It means that the primary task of virtual team leaders is to enable uninterrupted and effortless communication.

But that is only one aspect of the process, so let’s take it one step at a time and check out eight tips to help you manage a high-performing virtual team. 

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1. Give Your Employees the Right Equipment

Online workers need high-quality and reliable equipment because it’s the only way to keep the workflow smooth and uninterrupted. As a business owner or manager, you cannot neglect this aspect and expect employees to obtain the best technology on their own.

On the contrary, you have to provide employees with the latest software that is super-fast and safe to use. Each member of the virtual team should have at least a couple of devices that can be used interchangeably – laptops, desktop computers, tablets, smartphones. 

You also need to think about any additional programs, tools, and platforms relevant to your field of work.

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2. Goal-Setting Is Fundamental

The first tip is rather technical, but the second one is fundamental performance-wise. Namely, you need to think through your business goals carefully and determine the right objectives and deliverables for each member of the virtual team.

The thing that really matters here is to be very clear about your demands and set measurable key performance indicators. For example, an online paper writer service will set goals for every author and determine parameters such as the word count and deadlines. 

3. Delegate Tasks Properly

Micromanagement does not work in the online environment, so you’ll need to learn to delegate tasks properly. Every member of the digital workforce should know his/her responsibilities and focus on a single project at a given moment. Here’s how you can delegate professional duties across your team:

• Divide larger projects into smaller segments of work and hand them out to your employees. That way, each worker will concentrate on a highly specific task and make progress quickly.

• Create a schedule of work that is neither too tight nor too loose. Your expectations should be ambitious but realistic.

4. Use Multiple Communication Channels

Although it may seem counterintuitive, the experience taught us that multiple communication channels can contribute to the greater efficiency of virtual teams. 

How come? Well, it turns out that every communication platform serves a different purpose and represents a natural extension to some parts of the work.

For instance, email is great for official communication with strictly determined messages and clear deliverables. On the other side, live chat software is much more convenient for everyday information exchanges, while video conferencing suits complex discussions that require thorough explanations and elaborations. 

5. Organize Online Meetings Regularly

The fact that you cannot meet colleagues in person does not mean you shouldn’t organize online meetings. This is the core of virtual work, so we encourage you to schedule meetings regularly and discuss the most important topics with your coworkers.

The pace of communication depends on your team’s needs, but we can give you a practical example - essay writers meet every Monday morning to talk about their weekly plans, but they also meet on Friday afternoon to make a brief summary of weekly achievements. 

6. Take Advantage of Project Management Tools

Traditional means of online communication are always useful, but you can boost employee productivity with project management tools. If you are not using one already, we can point out a few options that proved to be valuable for virtual teams:

• Slack brings together multiple communication channels

• Trello gives you incredible flexibility in terms of communication, planning, and monitoring 

• Jira makes project tracking easy and transparent

• Jira alternative Monday.com lets you shape workflows to fit the way your team collaborates

7. Recognize Achievements and Reward Top-Performers

If you want the most talented individuals to stay with your team for a long time, you better recognize their achievements and reward top-performers. Unlike traditional business teams, virtual colleagues don’t have the chance to meet in person, exchange praises, and celebrate professional victories.

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This is where managers need to step in and acknowledge employees’ business results. After all, we all want to feel appreciated for what we do, so it’s always a good idea to publicly praise the results of your best workers and perhaps even reward them in a way that corresponds to a given achievement.

8. Keep In Mind the Life-Work Balance

You don’t have to be a top-level manager to understand that your virtual team needs some rest from time to time. A survey shows that unplugging after work hours is the biggest pain point for 40% of employees who work in a virtual environment.

Your job is to make sure that every member of the virtual team gets enough time to recover from daily duties. Do not call them after work and do not expect them to open and answer late-night messages. It will keep them fresh and energized in the long run, so you won’t have to worry about their performance anytime soon.

The Bottom Line

Virtual teams are very specific because they rely on alternative channels of communication and cannot count on traditional face-to-face interactions. In such circumstances, managers have to be careful and plan out everything in a way that suits the new business model.

In this post, we analyzed eight ways that could help you manage a high-performing virtual team. Don’t hesitate to use our tips, but you are also free to write a comment if you have other interesting tips – our readers would love to see it!

About Author: Becky Holton is an essay writer UK who regularly contributes to the dissertation service. Becky is covering a broad scope of topics, including digital marketing, HR, business, finance, and brand building. She is the mother of a lovely toddler and a passionate yoga practitioner.

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