What is a virtual employee?

What are the benefits of hiring virtual employees?

There are numerous pros to hiring virtual employees, including:

1. Access to an extensive talent pool: When hiring virtual employees, you are not limited by geographic location, which means you can hire the best talent from anywhere in the world.
2. Saves cost: Virtual employees don't require office space, equipment, or utilities, which can save your business money. Additionally, virtual employees often work on a contract basis, which means you can avoid the costs associated with hiring full-time employees.
3. Increased productivity: Virtual workers often work from home, which means they can avoid distractions and interruptions that may occur in a traditional office setting. This can lead to increased productivity and higher-quality work.
4. Flexibility: Virtual employees can work from anywhere and at any time, which allows for greater flexibility in scheduling and work arrangements. They can easily perform their tasks with collaboration and communication tools while relying on asynchronous work.
5. Improved work-life balance: Virtual employees often have more control over their schedules and can better balance work and personal responsibilities, leading to increased job satisfaction and retention. 
6. Reduced environmental impact: Hiring virtual employees can reduce the carbon footprint of your business by eliminating the need for commuting and reducing energy usage in the office.

How to manage virtual employees?

Managing virtual employees requires a different approach compared to managing in-person teams. Here are some tips to help you effectively manage and provide an optimal virtual employee experience:

1. Set clear expectations: Clearly define goals, expectations, and deadlines for your virtual employees to ensure that they understand their responsibilities and know what is expected of them. 

2. Encourage collaboration: Encourage virtual employees to collaborate with each other and build relationships. This can be done through virtual team-building activities, group projects, or regular video calls.

3. Implement two-way feedback: Provide regular feedback and also conduct employee satisfaction surveys and one-on-one meetings regularly to know what’s working and what can be improved.

4. Provide the necessary tools: For remote employees to perform their tasks effectively, provide them with the necessary tools and software required to succeed. This includes a fast internet connection, collaboration and communication tools, access to co-working spaces,  etc.

What are the best ways to hire virtual employees?

Though virtual employees don’t need to cross borders to be present at the physical workplace, hiring them requires the employer to comply with employment laws and regulations of the employee’s country. 

There are 3 ways companies can hire virtual employees in other countries:

1. Open a local entity or a foreign subsidiary wherever they wish to hire
2. Hire international contractors on a project/time-frame basis
3. Partner with an Employer of Record (EOR) 

How can Skuad as an EOR help you hire the best virtual workers?

To hire the best virtual talent, partner with a trusted EOR partner like Skuad. You can hire remote talent from countries worldwide in minutes, cost-effectively, and with minimal effort. The entire employment process gets handled by local hiring experts, so you can focus on building your best business.

‍Book a demo to see how we can help you and your team grow.

Frequently asked questions

What is a virtual employee?

A virtual employee is someone who works remotely, using virtual means to communicate, collaborate and perform tasks. A virtual employee does their job online either outside the office or from another country.

What makes a good virtual employee?

A good virtual employee must possess excellent communication skills, be self-motivated, and have the required technical skills necessary to effectively work remotely. They should also be able to collaborate effectively with their team and demonstrate a strong sense of accountability for their work.

Why hire virtual employees?

Hiring virtual employees can provide companies with access to a larger pool of talent, lower overhead costs, and increased flexibility in terms of working hours and location.

Is a virtual job the same as a remote job?

Usually, remote work is location-based. It means being physically away from your colleagues, leadership, and company office space. On the other hand, Virtual work is communicating, collaborating, and interacting in a virtual space.