5 ways to build a virtual team with a great work ethic

Working virtually with satellite staff can be tough on your team, especially if you’re all struggling to keep up to date on projects, staff turnaround and deadlines.

If you’ve got developers in England and Sales Teams in Arizona, it’s important to have a central hub where everyone can come together to foster team spirit and build a great work ethic. But how do you do it? Here are five ways:

1. Have a central location for project updates

Whether you use Basecamp, Desk.com or Podio – or any other of the many project management and team collaboration tools available – it’s essential to have a central hub for communications and project updates. Creating a virtual workspace is just like having an office, but without the overheads or travelling.

2. Simplify and centralise your document-sharing

Make all of your team documents available in a central location such as Dropbox or an intranet so that everyone has access to the information they need to do their respective jobs. It will also allow each team member to keep up to date on the latest documents, data and information at the touch of a button without having to email or call around to obtain it.

3. Keep in touch

Stay in touch with your team by IM, Skype voice calls and emails. Encourage regular interaction and communication, schedule feedback sessions, and – if you have a larger team – send team newsletters.

4. Encourage feedback

Encourage feedback from your team with apps like 15Five and TINYPulse. Your team members can leave honest feedback about what works and what doesn’t work in the business, and you’ll learn to better manage your virtual staff. Give your staff a voice for a great work ethic!

5. Listen to what your team has to say

Listen to your team’s feedback and opinions to implement a smoother, better communication schedule and virtual office environment. Giving your team members a voice will encourage a great work ethic, but will also give them a sense of involvement and extra motivation.

Updated on January 5th, 2014

About the author: Sandra Lewis is the Founder and CEO of Boldly. She's passionate about helping Businesses, Organizations and Executives increase productivity and move their work forward with the right skills and resources. Setting an example of the efficiencies gained working remotely, she’s been leading her entire team on a virtual basis for the past decade.