Hiring a virtual assistant is probably one of the best decisions you can make — both for yourself and your business. They take on some of your work so that you can maintain a healthy work-life balance.
But, finding the right virtual assistant who’s going to be working remotely is a big risk to take. You’ll have to entrust them with sensitive information, like company details and email passwords, or allow them to make big decisions. This can be a very big step to take – one that most entrepreneurs are hesitant to do – but in the end, it’s definitely worth the risk.
Establishing Trust
Trusting a virtual assistant is the biggest and most important step when it comes to hiring one. Here are three ways you can establish and build trust with your virtual assistant.
- Communication
Make sure you’re in touch with a real person and can reach out to them whenever it’s necessary. Ensure that all your business isn’t done via email. - Set Expectations
Make sure to set your expectations at the get-go – let your virtual assistant know what they can and cannot do for you. - Be Honest and Supportive
Understand what your virtual assistant needs to know and communicate facts while being sensitive to their feelings and considerate of their efforts.
VA Freedom: Breeding Loyalty and Commitment
Once you’ve decided to hire and trust your virtual assistant, there may come a time when you consider providing them with more tasks and freedom.
But, why is providing your virtual assistant with more freedom important? How do you do it?
So, how do you give your virtual assistants more freedom? Here’s how you can give them more independence – without losing control of your business:
- Change Your Mindset
The first step to providing more freedom to your virtual assistant comes from how you think about the management role.
Coaches suggest, guide, and provide structure for the team. They’re still the leaders, but the focus is on guiding and teaching – not ordering. - Stop Micromanaging
Most employees – including VAs – don’t appreciate micromanagement. It makes the employee feel as though they aren’t trusted to do things on their own and takes away their chance to think freely. One survey shows that around 68% of employees feel that micromanagement decreases morale. - Encourage Responsibility
One of the most important things you can do for them is to let them know that you expect them to take personal responsibility for their work. When employees feel as though they own their work, they will respect the work that they do even more and will want to do it well.
Keeping Control
Although the aforementioned tips help provide your virtual assistants more freedom, following them doesn’t mean that you’re giving up control. You still have to let your virtual assistant know what to do, give appropriate resources, and ensure that they’re completing objectives. The difference is that you’re giving them a voice in return for what will hopefully result in higher morale, improved performance, and stellar results.
All of this effort should pay off by giving you more time to focus on other things while your virtual assistant executes it’s objectives on your behalf. Being one of the most commonly outsourced jobs in the Philippines, it’s no question that Filipino VAs are competent to hold the position for you.
Explore the world of virtual staffing and outsourcing with us to unlock the full potential of your business.
Mike Obert began his outsourcing career in 2009 while developing offshore publishing solutions for a US-Based Niche Media company out of the Philippines. In 3 short years, Mike noticed a void in the industry and a lack of reliable outsourced options for all publishers, which ignited the vision to create his first Outsourcing firm. 2012 marked the first year of operations, providing Graphic Design & Page Make-up, Photo Editing and Enhancement, and telemarketing for niche magazine publishers across the US.
