By Bill Grodnik, CEO, Davinci Virtual

Advances in technology over the last ten years have greatly reduced the need for a “brick and mortar” office. Today, much work can be done – in whole or in part — ‘virtually.” At the same time, commercial real estate prices remain high and office overhead costs take ever bigger bites out of the bottom line.

Not surprisingly. more and more businesses are allowing workers to telecommute part-time or to skip the office entirely. And the flexibility and other benefits of working from home are desirable perks for current or prospective workers.

But “going virtual” raises some important questions. How does having “virtual employees” change the nature of your business? How do you supervise such workers? And what other adjustments must you make to your business to ensure success?

My company, Davinci Virtual, helps companies set up “virtual offices” that allow workers and employers this kind of flexibility. We’ve done it for literally thousands of clients. This is also something I’ve experienced myself, as I went through the process with my own business.

Here are some important things for a business to remember if they’re considering “going virtual”:

IT BEGINS AT THE BEGINNING:


Be especially careful hiring workers you know will be working remotely. Candidates should be self-motivators who can handle the increased responsibility. Find out if there are limitations to the time your prospective hire can spend at their desk. Be clear about things like expected response time to an e-mail or phone messages.

If they have some experience working in an office environment, be sure they understand that the expectations for them will be the same when they work from home. Some firms even tests employees to determine if they will make a good candidate for telecommuting.

IS THE THERE, THERE?

Before finalizing a contract with a virtual worker, review the technological capabilities of their home office. Be clear about space and technology expectations and requirements. While a separate room is not an absolute requirement, be aware that a laptop at the kitchen table may not get you the productivity you are hoping for. Consider hiring a company that, like mine, specializes in evaluating the situation and providing the necessary services for a small fee.


MAKE EVERYONE PART OF THE TEAM

A sense of camaraderie can be difficult to maintain when workers are in different locations. Email and Instant Messenger are important tools, but they don’t substitute for more substantial interaction. Make sure to include work at home employees in career training and long term planning. Solicit their input in creative decisions. Most importantly, communicate often.

Conference in remote employees for regular staff meetings And send frequent email updates to everyone involved in a project, so everyone remains in the loop. When you can, create opportunities for employees to get to know each other face to face. Company retreats and training seminars can help everyone feel part of the team


MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TOO

Managers who are new to overseeing telecommuting employees often have a desire to micromanage, and remote employees can misunderstand this as a lack of confidence in them. With little face time to resolve misunderstanding or answer questions, these kinds of issues can cause tension in a company.

Those in charge need to make sure all employees are delivering on their responsibilities and meeting deadlines in a way that makes sense to employees who don’t get a chance to know them well in person. Many sources – including management associations, professional organizations and consulting firms — offer special training on managing a virtual workforce.

KNOW WHEN TO GO NON-VIRTUAL

Employees who work in a different town may occasionally need to have face to face meetings with those outside of the company. But meeting up at the local Starbucks or in a toy strewn living room doesn’t impart confidence to clients or business partners. Meetings can be held at home office, of course, but this is not always an ideal option, especially for sales people who have frequent meetings.

Increasingly companies like mine offer “executive suites” in cities across the US (we have them in 600 locations) where remote employees can meet in a professional atmosphere (right down to a receptionist and a nameplate on the conference room door). Monthly rates for these services are often less than the cost of a single trip back to home office.

For more information on Davinci Virtual see: Davinci

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 at 9:55 am and is filed under Top Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.