6 steps to create a positive virtual work environment

Whether you’ve hired a remote team and the pressure is on to ensure it thrives, or you’re considering if building a virtual work environment is the best next move, here are six steps to building a positive remote workplace that will benefit your organization.

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What is a virtual work environment?

A ‘virtual work environment’ typically relates to the environment in which remote teams connect and work with their colleagues and employers. 

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It encompasses the virtual venues in which teams communicate (such as video calling and messaging platforms) and the employee experience established by an organization's values, practices, and remote working protocols.

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Successful virtual workplace examples:

1. Gitlab - The largest all-remote team in the world. Gitlabare known for giving their team members autonomy and coaching to achieve their goals.
2. Cisco - Ranked No.1 in the 2022 Fortune 100 Best Companies to work for, virtual teams are a core part of Cisco’s structure. With investing in the right digital tools key to making their remote teams work. 
3. Salesforce -  An organization with one of the highest employee satisfaction rates of 2022, Salesforce focuses on flexibility as a company-wide value, this includes the opportunity to work remotely.‍
4. Doist - A company of 68 people working from 25 countries, Doist is known for its conservative approach to hiring people - only those who share its fundamental values. This has helped create a remote network of employees who don’t need micromanaging.

How do you create a positive virtual work environment?

Creating a virtual work environment needn’t be complicated, but it does require strategy. Let’s take a look at the six steps to building a solid foundation in which remote teams will flourish:

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1. Define your goals 

What do you hope to achieve by establishing a virtual work environment? You need to answer this key question before implementing a remote team. With goals defined, you’ll be better able to shape your remote environment to suit your desired outcomes. Goals might include: increasing productivity, improving employee retention rates, or decreasing company overheads.

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“Each member of the team must align to shared goals which are expertly documented in a single source of truth — a company handbook. This creates immediate alignment and greatly reduces the likelihood of confusion and dysfunction (which, in turn, reinforces a sense of team).” - Head of Remote, Darren Murph, Github

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2. Invest in the right tools

Whether it’s tools like Gomada, employee engagement apps, remote communication apps, or essential desktop publishing software - your teams need the right tools. So do your research and look for platforms already being used effectively by other remote teams.

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Doist even built a tool to work for their communication needs. Doist Head of Remote, Chase Warrington, explains: “There wasn’t a better tool out there that really promoted asynchronous communication the way that we want it to work. So we built Twist, and now we run pretty much all [our business] on Twist.”

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3. Get to know your teams

Every remote team is different. Your employees have unique needs. Get to know them. Think about communication styles, working hours, time zones, and other personal responsibilities you can help your employees fulfill. 

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“What do they need in order to have intrinsic motivation and get the work done themselves?” says Distributing Consulting CEO & Founder, Laurel Farrer. She explains: “[it’s about] asking tough questions like – when do I feel the most motivated and when do I feel the least motivated, when do I get distracted and how can I overcome that, what are my highest priorities for the day.”

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4. Equip your employees

We’ve already touched on software, but what else do your remote workers need to thrive? Ideally, all remote employees should be provided with the equipment they need to get their job done - so no one is left quietly struggling on a sub-par laptop or temperamental headphones.

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It’s also worth considering how you can equip your remote employees in terms of education. For example, what training would make them more effective when working from home? And what support can you provide in terms of mental health and wellness while working out-of-office?

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5. Clarify remote team expectations

Help your remote teams by clarifying expectations, such as:

• Codes of conduct when communicating online
• Times employees are required to be available
• How, when, and why to make contact
• The tools required to be used to fulfill their role
• Procedures if employees do not meet expectations or deadlines 

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6. Ask for feedback

Seeking frequent feedback is crucial to understanding the virtual work environment you’re shaping - what’s working and what’s not. Ways to ask for feedback include:

• Automated pulse surveys
• Annual employee engagement surveys
• An open-inbox policy
• Invitations for informal chats

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Roli Saxena, president of AdRoll, advocates frequent surveys for your remote teams, with the results sent directly to leadership - “connection is a feeling, not a checked box.” 

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The pros and cons of working in virtual environments

Not sure whether creating a virtual work environment will be worth your efforts? Here’s a reminder of the advantages and disadvantages of a virtual office:

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The biggest pros

1. Increased flexibility - With flexibility proven to be one of the biggest drivers of employee engagement, offering a virtual work environment will likely increase employee satisfaction and loyalty. 
2. Greater productivity levels - On average, remote working environments are 7% more productive than in-office settings. Meaning you speed up project timelines and reach your goals faster. 
3. Cost-effective - With reduced to nil office costs, overheads can be dramatically reduced, and the money saved can be invested elsewhere. This frees up funds for employee investment (think training and development), meaning one of the advantages of virtual teams is a high caliber of employees.

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The biggest cons

1. Increased communication challenges - Conflicting time zones and lack of in-person connection (and the subtle cues of body language) make effective communication harder than face-to-face contact.  
2. More work to build team relationships - With remote communication challenges comes the added challenge of building team bonds from afar. For trust to be cultivated, leaders must prioritize bringing remote employees together online in safe, interactive spaces that recreate the social aspect of in-person collaboration. 
3. Challenges setting expectations - Setting expectations and nurturing company values requires a concerted effort when no quick in-office reminders are given. 

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If you need more ideas on running a successful remote team this year, read our guide to virtual teams working in 2023. 

Virtual workplace software to make your life easier

Your virtual work environment lives or dies on how you navigate connecting remotely. Here are three of our favorite platforms to benefit remote working:

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1. Strengthen remote teams with Gomada

Stop putting off team building activities with team building software that strategically tailors virtual meet-ups to your team’s needs and automates scheduling so you don’t have to. If you suck at coming up with team building activity ideas for work, Gomada takes that stress off your plate.

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2. Improve your online meeting experiences with Veertly

If you’ve ever thought, “my virtual workplace is uninspiring” (we’re looking at you, Zoom), then look at Veertly, a platform to help you create the exact virtual event space to meet your needs fully customizable to suit your brand.

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If the growing trend of putting on a VR headset and heading into a virtual workplace metaverse sounds more your thing, we suggest giving this one a read.

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3. Keep track of remote employee engagement with Lattice

Lattice is a virtual employee engagement platform designed to empower leaders with the tools to develop and oversee the employee cultures they’re striving for. In other words, giving you the digital tools to manage employee happiness and performance and increase employee retention.

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For more employee engagement solutions take a look at these:

• The absolute best employee engagement apps
• The top 5 employee retention tools on the market right now
• 2022/2023 employee engagement statistics: trends, stats + charts