Virtual companies are now part of the mainstream business landscape. While the vast majority of organizations take a bricks and mortar approach, businesses with no real estate beyond bits and bytes are finding their niche as well. Internet only companies also face some unique staffing and personnel problems.
Since staff members are often far from the virtual head office, cell phones and pagers become part of their working life. Along with e-mail, company wikis, and instant messengers, the employee may feel they are always on call. Respecting the employee's time, and not calling them multiple times per day, builds trust and a happier relationship. When a worker feels trusted, they are more likely to complete the assignment than if they feel micromanaged to an extreme. That sense of a staffer never having any time off the clock is a growing issue in all organizations. In virtual companies, it can be fatal to the business.
With virtual companies, partners and staff members may be located across the country, or even around the world. Simply organizing discussion times and workload schedules requires a knowledge and a feel for different time zones. The three hour difference between Eastern Time and Pacific Time can be enormous in practice. When it's 8:00 am in New York, it is still only 5:00 am in Los Angeles. Calling a west coast based staff person at that hour can cause hard feelings and resentment. Calls to more distant time zones may create even worse issues. Knowing and respecting different time zones is vital to good staff relationships.
Setting specific meeting times keeps everyone in touch and on the same page. Conference calls via telephone or virtual meeting software facilitate two way conversation as well as providing vital feedback to management. Simply sending orders by emails or terse phone calls is not enough for maintaining good long distance staff relations. Without that sense of being heard and that feedback is invited, the employee will feel isolated. The result will be lower productivity at best, and complete failure to finish assignments at worst. The staff person may even leave the company entirely. Maintaining two way conversation is vital to a good relationship.
Sometimes, there is no substitute to live meetings and personal interaction. Be sure to arrange some in person meetings with staff members. Even once a year at the head office, with everyone in attendance, can build stronger staff bonds. A policy retreat at a neutral location can also work wonders for team building.
While successful virtual companies exist, where no staff members or management have ever seen one another, those business bonds are much more powerful meeting face to face. Not everyone can function equally online. Old fashioned personal contact is essential for a successful company in the longer term.
When organizing a virtual company, it is important to realize that not everyone shares the same online personality. Some people are as happy and productive without any contact as they are in a traditional workplace environment. Other staffers require a more hands on and personal approach. All people need their personal time respected and boundaries drawn between work time and their home life.
By taking a people first approach, a virtual entrepreneur will maintain great staff relationships. The employees will be happier and more productive when treated with respect. In that way, some things never really change. People are all different, and require a personal touch.
Online or offline, good staff relations are essential to your success. Treat people with respect, and they will help you build a profitable and growing virtual company.
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