Effective Communication for Managing Virtual Office Employees – Entrepreneur.com

If you are thinking about letting some of your team work from home, or adding some staff that will work remotely, this article in Entrepreneur.com may shed some light on your decision.

The author, David Javitch, presents a nice overview that rings true to me. I managed a team of 19 in NYC from Atlanta for over 3 years and learned many of these lessons the hard way!

Some questions to ask yourself might include:

• How are you with technology? (You don’t have to be a chip-head, but it will make a difference if you’re comfortable with instant messaging, web conferencing programs, and other newer communication tools.)
• What is the nature of your work? Your team’s work? (How available do you need to be to your staff? Do they work independently or is their work more team-dependent?)
• Are you a superior communicator? (Especially if you’re not onsite with your staff, it’s critical that YOU take initiative to keep them in the loop, and they need to be receptive.)

Millennials are having more fun with virtuality than the rest of us. Are YOU ready? Let us hear from you!