The increase in telecommuting and work from home arrangements over the last decade can be traced to two benefits – good economics for corporations and flexibility for employees. Companies and its management can reduce full time workers, freeing funds for business expansion. Meanwhile, workers are hired and retained, able to focus on tasks without neglecting family demands.

Virtual workers flock to the industry because of the freedom it allows them. While some new college graduates do not stay long, others have made virtual assistance a career, discovering life/work balance is possible in the profession.

Traditional workers are bound by a central place where tasks are distributed and coordinated by a manager or supervisor. In contrast, virtual workers are hired and retained because of talents they bring to the table – high self-motivation, organized, multi-tasker, adaptable – among others, all the time based in remote places. Teamed with a manager skilled at communication and relationship building, both company and employees thrive.

But how do virtual personnel flourish at their jobs? Trust, the feeling of connection established by supervisors and managers alike, together with open communication between management and staff all contribute to workers career satisfaction and growth. Staff retention, however, is the win-win result that all companies aim for.

Constant communication is the most important key to keeping staff morale and motivation high. Honoring commitments and staying engaged with staff career plans encourage employees to open up, propose alternative procedures to streamline work performance. More so with virtual staff located in several cities in different parts of the world. Employees and management alike must not overlook the long hours and isolation that virtual work entails. Burnout can easily set in which in turn cause staff turnover.

At The Help, new ideas and suggestions to improve staff productivity are welcomed. Recommendations on new apps in the market are discussed and evaluated for possible use in the company. The Help also conducts team-building activities such as community assistance for victims of natural disasters, last conducted on December 14, 2013.            (The Help’s Outreach to the Haiyan Survivors)

Several factors make an employee flourish but in the virtual world nothing beats shared core values of honest communication, empathy, and team work cultivated by both company management and staff.

Written by: Yoli P.

An important aspect of employment and in advancing a career is the awareness and responsibility engendered by the job. While commitment, initiative, and creativity are all building blocks of success, productivity and measurable results are the ultimate determinants of continuous employment.

What are performance appraisals? Performance appraisal (PA) as they’re sometimes referred to, (also called as performance review, evaluation, career development discussion, or employee appraisal) is a method by which the job performance of an employee is documented and evaluated (en.wikipedia.org.org/wiki/Performance_appraisal). In everyday language, the PA is a yardstick for employee productivity. It is about accomplishments that can be measured, shared with others, and standardized as best practice.

Company management regularly undertakes performance appraisals to evaluate and to communicate with employees. It is not an easy process, as certain aspects of it may be taken at a personal level. However, employees must look at it as a positive approach to show work progress, get and provide feedback, then set goals.

Organizing clients, projects, and assignments with physical or electronic folders, for example, is a good way to document work progress. Making notes on your daily calendar and summarizing it once a week is another way.

Feedback is defined as material or info about a person’s work performance. All employees give and receive feedback about work productivity and team behavior. Those who are on the management track undergo peer-to-peer evaluation as well. Open minded, willing to learn employees usually get positive feedback.

Documentation and feedback are essentials to goal setting.  From an employee’s accomplished work and from information provided by peers and colleagues, goals are set to improve work performance. It is also the time when accomplishments are recognized via a promotion, an award or both. Achievements can be any of the following: provision of executive assistance to a manager through drafting/finalizing, checking documents for quality control, attention to business travel details, research/preparation of relevant information, reports or updates. Learning the payment procedures for company invoices to help ease workload in the accounts section, for example, is another.

Unless an employee is only after monetary rewards, awareness and a responsible mindset are the tools to hurdle any performance appraisal conversation. It is where you recall the reasons why this work appeals to you and why you will take action to improve and be an asset to the company. It is the time to take pride in the work you’ve done and will continue to do.

Written by Yoli P- The Help

Benjamin Franklin, famous for his numerous inventions, said “Tell me and I’ll forget. Teach me and I’ll remember. Involve me and I learn.” The telling and teaching are so true in all aspects of life but more important is the involvement of the individual in the learning process.

Over the course of a career, on the job learning tends to be substantial. This is one reason that certain groups have developed institutional programs for on the job learning.

The most common introduction to a new job is the orientation. Goals and expectations are discussed; management fields questions. Usually a peer serves as a guide or “buddy” for the new employee. From the one-to-one interaction with the guide, the new person slowly learns the office culture; s/he is shown and pointed to resources that will help in her/his productivity.

Another way to do on the job learning is through developmental assignments. This occurs when managers agree to have staff from one department move to another for a certain time period. Some developmental assignments are for six months, others up to a year. This method allows staff to have hands-on experience on different operational aspects of the institution. Job rotation, coaching, and shadowing (involves working with another employee who can teach the new one) are other modes of on the job learning.

When one is a team member at The Help, on the job learning is an integral part of the job. Staff takes the initiative in sharing with new employees accessible resources. Continuous guidance is available whenever staff is in doubt or when clients aren’t clear in assignment delivery. Questions are welcomed because it’s the best way to communicate and be part of The Help’s overall vision towards an atmosphere of trust and dependability, from inside and outside the company.

As Benjamin Franklin said, “Involve me and I learn.” What better way to start a relationship in a new career?

Written by Yoli P.- The Help

There’s an impression from the general public that working from home allows virtual workers certain liberties such as doing only what they feel like and not really committing to a lot of work. It is difficult to explain that it takes long hours of hard work to succeed in the virtual assistance industry. Virtual staff work well no matter their physical location because of their passion and the availability of excellent digital tools.

However, like any profession there are do’s and don’ts. Here are some:

• Do take working from home seriously.Make conscious effort to record your activities so you can update your manager when they ask or when warranted. Prioritize tasks by writing a to do list.

• Do take the initiative by doing research on the latest collaborative technology to make sure your apps are updated.

• Do keep your supervisor informed of your progress on tasks assigned to you.

• Do institute discipline in your daily activities by creating a project schedule and deadlines for yourself.

• Do join groups to learn something new; meet up with old friends to break up monotony.

• Don’t take working from home lightly. Make sure you have the appropriate space from where to conduct business. A barking dog in the background and a crying toddler on your lap will not give the client a positive image.

• Don’t wait for your supervisor to ask if your apps are up to date. As a virtual worker it behooves you to have the apps and the skill at your fingertips.

• Don’t’ wait for the last-minute to inform your manager that you’ve encountered a glitch at your workstation or that you’ve not found the right background information to include in your report.Whether early or late in delivery, supervisors must be informed soonest.

• Don’t put off work so as not to miss project deadlines; take to heart your own deadlines.

• Don’t work for ten hours continuously. Burn out can creep in quickly. Take breaks; get out of the house and meet up with friends.

That said,remember that an enthusiastic and committed virtual worker delivers the best results to a manager in every industry.

Written by Yoli P. – The Help

Having a system in a physical workplace or when telecommuting is essential to a professional. A neat and orderly environment can contribute to clear thinking resulting to efficient delivery of an assignment.

At a glance, a virtual office may not need much attention to detail, as everything will be online. If your inbox is backed up, unused applications are taking up space, and documents aren’t easy to find, it might be time to evaluate and set up a routine that will work for you.

I start my working day with reading and reviewing my emails to ensure that all directives for the day are followed through. After the emails, I look over my manager’s calendar, confirming and checking on the required background documents for each meeting that’s been set up. Different styles of work will require different methods. A system that works for you is all that matters.

1. Ensure that your tasks for the day are in your calendar; master it and when possible use an application like VueMinder (for Windows) or BusyCal2 (for Mac).
2. Make sure that your inbox is not cluttered with spam.
3. Label and classify correspondence for access and quick reference. Schedule a time to respond to mail and empty your inbox. Avoid mailing lists; they can be distractions as they take time away from work.
4. Discard applications, files that are not relevant to your work functions.
5. Look for new ways to organize yourself and your work to enhance productivity.

A systematic style and an organized space encourage an orderly and analytical approach to assignments. Perhaps it isn’t true in all cases, but for all intents and purposes, a good virtual office system and methodology can spill into your life. Stick to one that works and you might just surprise yourself!

Written by Yoli P. – The Help