Without face to face supervision, keeping a remote worker engaged and connected to their responsibilities may seem like a difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be. Their level of engagement can depend on different factors such as their capacity to self motivate within their work, or how much they commit to completing their obligations.
Aside from this, there’s a part that you can do as a leader to keep your team motivated and engaged to work in the best way possible. How is this possible? There are simple practices that you can apply to your everyday team management in order to connect on a deeper level with your team. Here are a few of them:
- Update your team constantly: it’s a good idea to let your virtual assistant know the initiatives, updates and decisions being made. This reinforces the sense of being part of the company and small business, keeping the team more engaged and aware of their role.
- Schedule individual check-ins: it is good to have team meetings to know about the state of each project and how responsibilities are being held, but it can also be beneficial to take the time to have one on one meetings every once in a while, to help build a sense of trust and an atmosphere of common interest. This makes it easier for your employees to relate to you and to be more motivated to complete their work
- Use video interactions when necessary: face to face interactions may be impossible due to the distance, but it doesn’t mean you and your virtual assistant should be strangers. You can schedule meetings with camera on (letting your employee know previously that this will be the dynamic). This simple change in the way the meetings are being held humanizes the interaction and leads team members to relate more to each other.
- Use more than one channel to communicate important information: it’s good to prioritize channels of communication that had been discussed previously but that doesn’t mean interactions should be limited to those channels. Especially in the case of important decisions or information that all employees should be aware of, it is advisable to use more than one channel of communication. This way you can be sure that the information has reached all of the people interested and you can move under the common understanding that your virtual assistant is on the same page. It can also help to standardize a way for your team members to let you know that they are informed.
- Be vocal with gratitude and recognition to good employees: to be in an environment in which good work is recognized can increase your motivation to put extra effort in doing an outstanding job. Your virtual assistant will want to work harder to receive the fair recognition of their good work.
- Have an agenda for your meetings and stick to it: this is very important if you want your team to be aware of the importance of their time. If you’re respectful of their time, they will be respectful of yours. This can also make it clear that you are an organized leader that they can rely on. Having an agenda in a meeting is helpful for your virtual assistant and for you, since you don’t have to dedicate time to being in a meeting without a clear objective.
Eureka’s virtual assistants have no problem staying engaged with their work. They understand their tasks and actively look for the most efficient way of getting them done. If you want an Eureka Virtual assistant to improve your business, don’t hesitate to ask, we can be the solution you are looking for.
