Engaging virtual employees the LEAN way

How do you engage virtual workers? What’s a challenge in good times is even tougher in bad, turbulent times. Last month’s feature story was Engage employees the LEAN way; this month’s focus is on virtual employees.

With travel budgets slashed, you may not be able to count on any face-to-face meetings for awhile. So you may not get to see what a not-so-new team member looks like in person. Nor will you be able to pick up non-verbal cues that help you understand what your teammates are saying. You may be short of other resources too.

As a former boss used to say, “If you can’t fix it, feature it.”

Before rushing to offer potential tactics though, let’s step back and review some research on the topic. Last year Chris Gay and Michelle Mahony, co-founders of Bridge Consulting, conducted a global survey about the challenges and best practices associated with engaging virtual workers.