Virtual or remote teams are composed of geographically dispersed employees who interact through various channels of technology. Virtual teams can provide a business benefit because they reduce costs, helping establish a competitive advantage within the global marketplace. Here are three tips for leading today’s virtual workforce:

Time: Establish a specified day and time when you will check in, whether on a daily or weekly basis. This ensures that both parties are connected. Remember: The more you communicate, the less likely your employees will feel they are “out of sight, out of mind.”Respond to your employees with follow-up phone calls and emails. In doing so, you will build trust and prove that you are responsive and available.

Trust: Remind employees that you hired them because of their specific talents and that you have faith in their work ethic and autonomy.  Set standards, goals and deadlines with specific milestones and check-in points.  Champion their freedom to work when they want, where they want and how they want, as long as they perform and produce quality results in a timely manner.

Training: Ensure that your virtual team members have the necessary training to be effective, such as training on cultural norms. For example, an enduring silence is perceived as comfortable in India, Indonesia and Japan, and being unnecessarily talkative is considered rude.

—Dr. Mimi