Virtual employees have become more common than before due to the increased flexibility that comes with working away from the office. More people are likely to join this virtual workforce in the future, according to a study by Forrester Research (News - Alert). This study states that by 2016, more than 63 million Americans will be working virtually, up from 34 million in 2013.
This increasing growth of virtual employees has made it essential for managers to use technology to keep them together and formulate a range of strategies to make the entire team more productive. One of the tools used by managers is conference call services. These services are the perfect way to give employees a platform to communicate with one another irrespective of their physical location.
Along with conference call services, it is also important for managers to lay down a set of rules that will make this communication more effective. Firstly, managers should emphasize punctuality for every call. It may even be a good idea to ask all employees to dial in at least five minutes before the scheduled time so that managers can begin the call at the scheduled time. Furthermore, latecomers should be penalized in some way to prevent it from becoming a habitual occurrence.
Another strategy that would help to improve communications is to circulate the list of participants by email so that everyone knows the others who are on the call. Such prior intimation can make up for the lack of face-to-face communications. The manager should also ensure that every member participates in the discussion so that everyone on the team feels involved.
In short, communication among virtual employees can be a challenge. Hence, it is important for managers to use the right tools and strategies to keep everyone together as a single unit.
Edited by Maurice Nagle