The beauty of technology is that physical presence is no longer a necessity for business success. In theory, all of your employees could be spread out far across the globe, and you’d still have every chance to run a tight, profitable ship. This is known as ‘remote’ or distance work, and it is becoming extremely popular with entrepreneurs in Singapore.
In many ways, Southeast Asia suits this kind of flexible, transient model. It is a sprawling continent, with countless different cultures and environments to experience. So, it makes sense that businesses with a high level of adaptability tend to thrive here. This is not to say that building and maintaining virtual teams is easy. It comes with its own unique challenges.
Keep reading to find out more about these challenges and how you can overcome them with the help of virtual office solutions.
Know Your Routine
The first step is to establish exactly how your virtual setup and team is going to work. You can’t just say that you’re committing to remote routines and hope they structure themselves. Certainly, if you want to get the most out of a virtual office, you’ve got to have a general idea of how often you will visit the physical address (if at all) and how you’ll utilise the resources.
This website link will take you to one of the most respected virtual vendors in Singapore. Take a look at the pictures in their gallery and browse through the service descriptions. It will give you a feel for what is on offer and how they facilities are normally used. If you want your team to spend time working within the physical space, you should make this clear in your plan.
Create a Virtual Water Cooler
This is a really clever idea because the only thing missing from virtual routines is intimacy; that opportunity to get close to colleagues and spend time talking to them on a personal level. In fact, it’s difficult to know just how much you’ll miss this until it’s gone, so it’s always worth putting a system in place to help remote employees socialise.
It won’t be exactly the same – unless you can organise regular ‘in person’ meet ups – but a virtual water cooler is a good way to build camaraderie and team spirit. All it means is that you take the time to communicate in a way which is not related to work. So, for example, some companies post ‘Getting to Know’ you questions and set up a social forum for responses.
Make It All About Results
Remote routines are only unstructured if you don’t provide clear guidelines. As the company owner or manager, it is your job to make sure that everybody knows what is expected of them. This can be as simple as setting out clear, precise targets. In other words, every employee should know how often to check in and how you want them to demonstrate their progress.
It can be tricky to let go of that need to micromanage, particularly during the first few months. However, the whole point of remote work is that the employees choose when and why tasks are completed. The important thing is that they get completed. Make the focus results, and you don’t have to worry about how they happen. That is the responsibility of the individual.
Encourage Collaboration
Technically, your remote workers don’t have to make physical visits to the virtual office. They can still access many of the resources from home. For instance, things like mailboxes and telephone lines are designed to be used as distance supports anyway. They add credibility to a business and ensure that personal and corporate communications are kept separate.
Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to emphasise the value of creative collaboration. There are big benefits to getting out there and visiting coworking environments. These workspaces are filled with professionals of all kinds and just being around other ambitious individuals is enough to motivate and inspire. It is just one of the reasons why virtual offices are highly recommended.