5 Common Challenges in Working with Distant Assistants

Having a distant assistant has a number of benefits to your business and personal life. It frees you time, allows you to save money, and add value to your business. But, it does not necessarily mean everything will go smoothly all the time. Just like any other type of work environment, the distant workplace has its own challenges as well. Here are the 5 common challenges in working with distant assistants. Learn what they are and understand how you can overcome!

1. Communication

Communication continues to rank among the most common challenges in working with distant assistants. Researches show that communication influences work performance. The way a team communicates and how often they communicate are among the factors to consider.

The thing is…

Regardless of how big or small your business is, communication is a basic dynamic. It is to be carried out efficiently and consistently if you want to succeed.

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” -Steve Jobs

With a distant assistant to help you out, your business is not a one-man team. There exists a need to collaborate or work together towards specific goals. And, it comes with the knowledge that how they carry it out has a significant effect on the output.

Just as what various researches indicate, communication affects the performance of each person involved. Take for example when you assign a new project to your distant assistant. You put pertinent files in a folder, forward it to your DA, and simply tell him it’s a new project to work on.

If you do not give specific instructions, such as deadline and how the final output should look like, it is unlikely that you get the result you wanted him to achieve. On the DA’s end, it’s important that he relays his questions about it to ensure he gives you the right results.

Apart from being specific with what you communicate, there also stands a need to be consistent in your communication. How often do you communicate with your DA ? Simply letting him know what you think about his work results can motivate him to do even better.

A side note:

There is this interesting blog about crafting remarkable client experiences. Brand Architect Jared Angaza shares that a brand is the experience you create. It is an experience that you must carry out also within your workplace if you want to succeed.

In other words, what you do internally and how you do it affects the total experience that you give your clients. That is your brand. You can schedule a strategy session with Jared.

2. Productivity

How do you know if your distant assistant is not slacking off? Nowadays, a number of management tools exist to help you in working with distant assistants.

It’s natural to want to make sure your DA is working what is expected of him. You don’t want to miss out on projects or opportunities. And, you also don’t want to pay for the time he probably just wasted away.

But did you know that, according to Eurofound and the International Labor Office, remote workers are more productive than traditional employees? That makes it favorable for businesses to outsource jobs.

One disadvantage, however, is they tend to work intensely. The hours the have for work tend to overlap the time they have for their personal lives.

This gives the idea that distant assistants are responsible and reliable enough to work. You can trust them enough to fulfill the business functions you hired them for.

For productivity concerns, you can use effective tools online to manage your DA and check from time to time how they are doing. Or, you can schedule a time every week when you can meet and discuss the projects and your DA’s performance.

3. Time Difference

Working with a distant assistant from the other side of the globe can be pretty challenging. Depending on the task you have for the DA, you can schedule the DA to work on the same hours that you are working.

The challenge typically comes in adjusting one’s body clock to a different time zone. It could negatively affect performance if one is not flexible to change.

What you can do is…

Even before you hire the distant assistant, you can agree on your work schedule. That should be sufficient to prepare for adjustment, and helps determine whether the DA can carry out his tasks accordingly.

4. Company Culture

How are things going in your workplace? Your company’s culture is your company’s personality. It shows in the way you treat your distant assistant as well as in your DA’s response to that treatment.

Company culture is practically important to develop. Along with it comes your company’s vision, values and goals. Consider for example when you walk in an office where the boss just keeps on berating his workers all day long.

If you were in those workers’ shoes, would you want to work for long?

The thing is…

Vistant assistants enjoy working in an environment where they have good relationships with their fellow workers and clients. Your company’s culture helps them determine whether they fit with your company’s vision, values, and goals.

It is also important to you as business owner, because it helps you determine the gray areas to work on or which distant assistant needs some motivation. In both cases, clarifying on the culture you have empowers you to have happier and more productive DAs.

What you can do is be clear on your company culture, and communicate that to the people working under your company.

5. Competitiveness

With the growing popularity of remote work, many individuals aspire to become distant assistants. They show great potential in the application process, so you hire them to fill in the vacant position you have available.

Unfortunately, having a distant assistant on board is not like a “plug and play” game. Sometimes it’s easy to think that a DA can immediately do the work and provide what you want. In reality, it requires ample training and supervision before a distant assistant can become very comfortable with your business.

One good thing about it is it helps the distant assistant prepare for any changes. When the DA is familiar with the business, he may find it easy to adapt and even improve on his skills.

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