The coronavirus pandemic transformed the way people work as offices were forced to close so employees had to adapt to a virtual setting. Although many organisations are going back to onsite work, more and more are staying remote or at least going hybrid in the foreseeable future.

This is because working from home has been revealed to make workers happier and companies more productive, according to an economist from Stanford University in June 2021. Being able to hire a freelancer from the Philippines or from all over the world instead of a limited geographic location is another benefit.

How to have a successful remote team

When your team is happy, they are less likely to leave for greener pastures. This means you won’t have to spend more on hiring and training replacements. The question is, how do you ensure that your staff are satisfied and efficient at their current roles?

• Keep communication lines open and schedule regular discussions through voice or video calls.
• Include small talk in your conversations such as asking about their families or their next holiday.
• Allow them to build bonds with each other by giving them more opportunities to interact.
• Consider arranging a mentoring arrangement where experienced workers teach the newer ones.
• Take note of important dates such as work anniversaries and birthdays so they feel welcome.
• Organise team events where they have to reach goals, like the best training video, together.
• Meet them in-person if possible, such as by going to international industry events as a team.
• Keep track of their engagement and productivity by establishing metrics and gathering data.
• Enable them to maintain proper work-life balance by providing designated days off of work.
• Give them incentives that they’re able to use even when you’re far from each other.

Enabling successful remote work with technology

As you may see, there’s plenty to do to achieve a successful remote team. The good news is that there are remote work technology solutions you may take advantage of. Here are the best ways for you to leverage different kinds of tools for remote work success.

Real-time analysis of data

It’s a given for businesses to collect data about their customers and target consumers, but there’s no point when you’re unable to organise and extract useful insights from them. There are numerous programs made for automating data analysis, such as those that perform location-analytics.

• Microsoft Power BI – an app for creating dynamic and sophisticated visualisations of data from different sources
• Tableau – a part of Salesforce which allows you to see and understand data through its business intelligence features
• Looker – a part of the Google Cloud Platform that enables users to create custom applications for data exploration

Recovery of lost time

Social media consumes a good portion of any work day, especially when it has nothing to do with your work. It may not be possible to make up for all of the lost time but there are applications that reduce the chances of getting distracted by social media.

• Stayfocusd – a Google Chrome extension that restricts the amount of time spent on websites selected by allotting a set number of hours
• SelfControl – an open-source and free application on MacOS that blocks certain websites from being opened for up to 24 hours
• Freedom – a program designed to keep users away from the internet and other distractions for up to 8 hours at a time

Management of projects

Most teams cooperate on campaigns, projects, sales, and other work through one aspect or another. Task management systems allow members to connect all the dots while centralising the necessary content. They help you share to-do lists, progress reports, performance evaluations, and more.

• Monday – a visual workspace where teams make workflow apps for running projects, processes, and everyday tasks
• Wrike – a work management platform with features for collaborating externally and internally as well as for protecting data
• ClickUp – a cloud-based collaboration tool that may be tailored to different teams and use cases, be they complex or simple

Simplification of communication

There’s more to staying in touch with your workers than just putting on a headset and clicking a button. Maximise the virtual work technology tools available by using the modern features provided and encouraging more engagements within your teams to speed up the work.

• Chanty – available on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and the web, this application is free for up to 10 team members
• Microsoft Teams – available as part of Microsoft Office 365 subscriptions, this program provides email-style threaded conversations
• Zoom – available for integration with Dropbox, Slack, Zapier, and more, this tool starts at around 13USD per month though they also have free trials

Improvement of learning

Though you may be hiring Filipino remote workers and shifting towards a fully virtual team, you mustn’t neglect their learning and development. It’s important to provide opportunities for learning despite being across the world from each other. Help them learn new skills and advance in their career roles.

• TalentLMS – a popular program for training workers as it allows you to create effective interactive courses without any coding
• ProProfs – an application with many widgets and tools for employee training and development, including the ProProfs Knowledge Base
• Apty – a digital adoption software that enables you to make learning courses, walkthroughs, and in-app guidelines via drag and drop functions

Hire a Filipino virtual assistant for remote success

Choosing to hire a Filipino freelancer helps you to run a better virtual team overall. This is because a new hire VA in the Philippines tends to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to stay productive and efficient regardless of the changing work environments.

When you work with Remote Workmate and hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines through us, we guarantee to endorse tech-savvy workmates who are capable of adapting to whatever technology you introduce. Many companies have decided to hire a Filipino VA through us so we’re experienced at what we do.