Although the use of virtual assistants (VA’s) has become prevalent in recent years, the whole phenomenon of remote workers in an office setting is still fairly new. Many law firm owners, particularly those who started building their practice many years ago, haven’t quite figured out how to collaborate with remote workers in the most effective and efficient way. In this blog post, we will go over the 7 habits to work productively with a remote worker.
1. Choose the Right Source
When you hire your VA, you need to be sure that you pick the right person. Turnover leads to lower morale, even if the former employee happened to be a remote worker; besides lower morale, there is also the cost of training a new employee too. Partnering with Get Staffed Up on this issue can be of tremendous help as we’ve already gone through the process of screening for the essential ingredients (i.e. competency, reliability, and positivity, amongst others.).
2. Proper Communication
Communication is a critical piece of the process. Whenever you bring on an additional employee because new employees need direction, feedback, and more. However, things are even more serious when it comes to remote employees. Be sure to communicate properly with your VA; this means adequate precision in your directions, healthy feedback, setting up goals, and everything else that you can think of.
3. Tools / Software
Simply put, your new VA can’t work effectively if he or she doesn’t have the necessary tools. Be sure that you invest in the most up-to-date software programs and obtain the other tools so that your VA can achieve maximal productivity.
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4. Regular Meetings
In addition to proper communication, be sure to create a schedule whereby you regularly meet with and provide in-depth feedback for your virtual assistant. This will be time-consuming, but it is an essential part of the process of maximizing productivity from your VA. You need to be on the same page as your VA every step of the way, and this means regular meetings are non-negotiable.
5. Virtual Office Hours / Flexibility
Although your VA is just as much a part of your team as any other employee, remember that your VA’s circumstances allow for certain adjustments and improvisations. One thing you can do is offer some flexibility when it comes to office hours. Many VAs have specific demands and needs when it comes to their work schedule. If you give a bit of flexibility here, your VA can pay you back handsomely down the road.
6. Onboarding Process
The onboarding process is crucial because your VA needs time to become familiar with all the internal processes of your company, along with your particular goals, idiosyncrasies, etc. The more time you invest in the onboarding process, the quicker you will see results, and the higher the performance you can expect too.
7. Reward System / Incentives
If there is no incentive to perform better, then performance usually tends to plateau. Keep this in mind when you go about creating some type of reward system or bonus structure. If you really want to extract the most productivity, you will need to come up with some sort of reward system.
To learn more about productivity in a hybrid, or virtual environment, watch Get Staffed Up’s co-founder, Brett Trembly discuss the OI90: The Formula To Maximum Productivity. With the OI90 formula, you will master the 3 easy-to-implement tactics to eliminate work interruption: office hours, issues matrix, and a weekly 90-minutes team meeting. You will also learn how to boost your productivity and how to keep delegating your way to freedom!
Contact Get Staffed Up, LLC for More Information
If you’d like to learn more, contact Get Staffed Up, LLC today by calling 866-763-4405.
