Most of the activities of a virtual company are carried out remotely or online. As the world is in the midst of the new COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are opting for a voluntary or mandatory work-from-home policy. Virtual offices have various benefits such as flexible work hours, however, they do have challenges of their own. Take a look at these tips to make sure you stay ahead of the game even if you’re working from home.

1. Planning

Track productivity, plan and set goals that need to be accomplished within a definite period of time.  While working remotely, it is not unusual for each person to be in their own world. They may have their own ways of working that don’t necessarily mesh with the way other team members are working. It is important to have a schedule and standardized ways of working.

2. Communication

The importance of communication cannot be stressed enough. It is vital for team members to communicate with each other and to stay in the loop.

• Video Conferencing: To build connections, hence face to face communication is necessary. Today, there are a number of video chat options such as Zoom, Google hangouts and Skype. Have a quick daily meeting at the start of the day to make sure you are all on the same page.
• Choose a communication style that works best for your team.
• Make use of project management tools. A single software can be used to record, maintain and organize all your communications. In this way, employees can easily refer to previously discussed points.
• Use project management tools. A single software can be used to record, maintain and organize communications between team members.

3. Right Equipment

Remote workers need basic equipment such as laptops, computers and mobile phones. With the help of cloud based softwares workers can easily switch from one device to another without the fear of data corruption or version conflicts. When you have the right tools, you can work smarter and faster. Make sure you have access to a secure and high speed Wi-Fi network.

4. Avoid chat and email overload

Virtual offices can be a little tricky. Sometimes you need to make sure everyone is communicating enough but also on the other hand it can get distracting and overwhelming. Make sure team members are not subscribed to too many channels and they are receiving only the messages that they need to see.

5. Keep updating your practices and tools from time to time

There is no growth without change.  Technology keeps changing and updating. Hence, it is essential for work places to try out new organizational experiments, virtual office policies and productivity tools. Not all tools may be a perfect fit for you, however, this helps you discover what works best for you.

6. Meet when possible

Sometimes it’s difficult to maintain relations if they are not in the traditional working space. Schedule a meeting or a get together whenever possible to create stronger bonds within your company.