When we don’t work face-to-face with our team, we have a tendency to treat them differently.

While working remotely with team members is not new, many of us still continue to struggle with communication. Without the benefit of being in the office together and having real in-person interactions, we become inclined to make assumptions or judgments based on the limited information that working remotely gives us.

This, in turn, leads to biases in our perceptions and behaviours. This leads to communication barriers that impact our ability to build trust and establish strong working relationships.

A further impact of remote working is that we perceive authority differently, and the lack of face-to-face socialisation can lead to competitive power dynamics and behaviours.

This struggle often occurs between a client and their virtual assistant when expectations on both sides have not been heard or delivered clearly.

Why You Need To Work Harder at Being Heard!

When clients search for a Virtual Assistant to help them with their office admin, often their expectations don’t align with that of the VA. So why is that:

Lack of engagement

A great VA will become invested in you and your business, and while they sometimes work thousands of miles from you, having your back is what they’re all about.

To help improve engagement between yourselves, use a communication tool such as SLACK or WhatsApp. It takes less than 20 seconds to put a message in saying, “Hey, I hope you have a great day today; reach out if you need anything”.

When VAs are treated transactionally, they will return the favour and respond to you in the same way. You won’t like it, I can guarantee it. This will then see you looking for a new VA a few months later, and the cycle will continue.

Technical issues

If you’re in a western country, then chances are your tech is pretty good—great Internet, latest software and hardware, which is great. But if your VA is offshore, it’s not so good for them. VAs working outside of Australia can have ongoing issues which will impact their ability to deliver what you need when you need it.

Power outages, Internet outages, equipment breakdowns and flooding are all regular occurrences. Their public holidays are different to yours, and unless you’re developing good lines of communication with your Virtual Assistant, you’re going to be left wondering where they are at times.

In your regular catch-ups or end-of-week communications, make sure you also add in any problems that may be coming up that you’re aware of so that you can plan accordingly. People don’t know what they don’t know.

Cultural differences

Ignorance isn’t bliss, and it is up to each one of us to be aware of whom we work with. The impact of not understanding the cultural differences that surround us within our teams leads to not only misunderstandings and miscommunications but also tend to stereotype and it makes it easy for us to discriminate.

  • The impact of this happening is missed opportunities for collaboration, growth, learning and understanding.
  • If we embrace cultural differences, the benefits are stronger relationships, better understanding and appreciation for the diversity that our remote teams bring to the table.

Making an effort to know the people you are working with and how you can work better with them will benefit not only both of you but your respective businesses as a whole. It’s a win-win!

Your Virtual Assistant is a business owner, too, and they will rely heavily on the weight of your testimonial. Just as you do with your clients.

If you would like to see how  JMJ can help strengthen your business, book a call or download a copy of the 12 Things Your Business Needs.