How to Properly Manage Virtual Workers - Spark Hire

How to Properly Manage Virtual Workers - Spark HireManaging a team of virtual workers requires a different set of skills. You cant oversee these employees like you would if you were all together in the office every day. In bestellung to keep everyone productive and positive, make sure to focus on the following pointsHire based on personality and not just on experienceWhen youve got staff members working remotely, personality matters just as much (if not more) as training and past experience. It takes a specific type of person to excel when doing remote work. While an individual may thrive in an office, they may end up struggling to do the same type of job when they try to do it from home. For this reason, managers who oversee virtual workers will want to make sure that the new team members theyre bringing on board have the personality types necessary to excel in a virtual work environment.How do you tell if a potential new hire has what it takes to excel in this unusual work drumheru m? They need to beSelf-motivatedReliableAble to work without checking in with a boss every few minutesAble to stay focused even with distractions like pets or household chores or the television nearbyAble to manage their own schedule successfullyWhile some people thrive in this environment, others find that too much freedom is overwhelming, and they may get tempted to catch up on Netflix when they should be working. Be aware of this and make sure that the people youre bringing on board truly have what it takes to excel in a work from home situation.Make it a point to check in regularlyWhen youre not seeing your team members in an office, its far too easy to go days or even weeks without having a real conversation with your employees. This creates an environment thats ripe for serious miscommunication, employee dissatisfaction, and other problematic situations. To prevent this from happening, build in time to check in with your employees. Even if you dont have anything pressing to di scuss, block out ten minutes or so to jump on the phone and make sure that your team member feels good about how things are going. You can answer any questions that they may have, offer feedback or praise, and reassure them that their efforts are appreciated.Lastly, be aware of the potential for overwork when you have workers who arent coming into the office every day. While its true that you may get a person who tries to slack off because they dont have a boss looking over their shoulder, youll also have employees who have a hard time turning it off and separating home life from work since theyre working and living in one space. Be sensitive to this, and make sure to encourage your staffers to clock out at a reasonable hour every day in order to prevent burnout.Image Nyul/Bigstock.com