It is common for any business enterprise to have clients and employees who are operating from all over the world. At times, the virtual world becomes of immense use when you have to contact other employees from other parts of the world. When interacting with employees via the virtual world, it is possible to maintain the office culture. Even when making important dealings with your virtual staff, it is possible to maintain the warm and relationship that is common in the office. For the same, you have to think out of the box so as to retain the essence of office culture and it is not lost in the increasing influence of the virtual workforce.    

Virtual water cooler is necessary

Collaboration techniques are used in the business so that it is possible for the teams to work and live together. These techniques and tools are not only used for accomplishing office work, but it is also used for making a Virtual Office even more personal. Companies can introduce ‘get to know you’ questions and employees start sharing different experiences. In this way, it becomes easy for them to build relationships which are difficult to build when not working in the same work location.  

Set principles and use them frequently

There is a wrong notion that a Virtual Office set up does not have any ethics, purposes or policies to be followed. But this not true and therefore, it is necessary to set the principles properly and implement them effectively even in the virtual workplace. The principles should be set up in association with ideas from each of the team members. The company when preparing the final set of principles should be careful that each of them is actionable and practical.   

The organization should prioritize that the principles are reflected in the growth of the company and how employees should treat each other in a Virtual Office environment. The principles should be set keeping in mind both the business and the standards of the customers. Thus, with the help of these principles, it will be possible to maintain a good relationship among the employees even among virtual workforces.

Plan ways to thank employees

Whether employees are working in an office or part of a Virtual Office setup, they love to get recognized for their work. ‘High five Fridays’ are a way to reward employees for a week’s task. When they are able to go beyond the goals and achieve their target in time, they should be rewarded.

According to research, it can be said that a member of the team elaborates about the week’s task. In this way, they are able to work together and learn from innovative ideas that are cultivated in a team.

Encourage coworking space culture

Irrespective of whether the virtual team is working in a different location or not, it does not imply that they are working. It is important for the virtual workforce to understand when they are able to take any decision. The collaborative work is vital for improving the functioning of the business. Creating an effective company culture is important and it brings in several Virtual office benefits. It will help the workforce to rely on office culture, clarity and collaboration.

Even when each of the work is done in collaboration, standard operating measures are adopted to manage the business effectively. It further provides clarification to each of the teams and the team members. These measures cover the details of the day to day activities including the decision making part.

Make base employees work with a virtual team

It is often seen that when employees are working on a virtual level, it become hard to maintain interaction between them for long. Also, it may not be easy to proceed beyond the professional boundary. When it is a younger team, try to indulge them in playing games as it will encourage teamwork. Try to make something that each member of the team is able to take part in. In this way, it will be easy for a team to sustain relationship even in a Virtual office environment.

Make ways for employees to interact more

One of the main disadvantages is that the employees are not present in the main office. However, the distance often turns out to be advantages based on which employees can be made to interact more with their community. When you are seeking help from any employee residing in some other country, you can think about the virtual growth of the company.

This is among the Virtual office benefits and in this way, you will be able to encourage the person to represent your company in some other country. Without a physical extension, it is possible to expand your company. The company will also be able to grasp information about the real world better.

Make it mandatory for them to engage in activities

For some, it might seem that it is good to be away from the hustle bustle of the main office, employees might feel lonely to be part of the virtual workforce. In such a case, even if the employees are not rewarded, it is necessary that they should be encouraged as mentioned earlier. Try to engage them more in meetings, and give them a bonus for participation. In this way, when you are incorporating them into the daily task of the company, you are actually doing a favor to them.

The Final Thoughts

Due to the advent of technology, geography is becoming one of the least considered factors for any workplace. It is easy to hire employees and interact with them via Skype account. But at the same time, it is also necessary to build and retain office culture among the virtual workforce. Some might find it difficult to make a cooperative work and retain their attention in the work they accomplish.

Try to create ways so that it can be easy for the employees to be part of the office irrespective of the distance. Clarity, trust and effective collaboration will help to maintain the virtual workforce. Thus, it is possible to build and maintain office culture in a virtual workforce.