- Lessons Learned from Our Six-Year Journey.
Remote working has transformed the modern workplace, offering employees flexibility, autonomy, and the potential for a healthier work-life balance. However, for many businesses, making remote work successful remains a challenge. How do you ensure productivity, maintain strong company culture, and keep employees engaged when they’re spread across multiple time zones?
At VirtualResource, we’ve been fully remote from day one, with no physical offices anywhere in the world. Our employees are based across 20 countries and multiple time zones, yet we continue to provide exceptional services while fostering a strong sense of belonging among our team. We’re not here to say we’ve got it all figured out—but we have learned a lot along the way.
Here are our key lessons learned for making remote working successful—whether you’re new to remote work or looking to refine your current approach.
1. Trust and Autonomy: The Foundations of Remote Success
One of the most common concerns from leaders is : How do I know my employees are actually working?
The answer: Trust them.
Remote work thrives on autonomy. Micromanagement kills motivation and productivity, whereas giving employees ownership over their work fosters accountability. At VirtualResource, we focus on results rather than hours logged. Employees know their responsibilities and have the freedom to structure their day in a way that works best for them.
🔹 Tip: Shift your focus from tracking hours to tracking outcomes. Define clear objectives and measure success based on results, not screen time.
2. Flexible Leave: A Radical Approach That Works
Many businesses fear that too much flexibility will lead to employees taking advantage of the system. Our experience suggests the opposite.
At VirtualResource, we have an uncapped annual leave policy. Employees take time off whenever they need, as long as their work is completed and deadlines are met. This level of trust increases job satisfaction and helps prevent burnout.
🔹 Tip: Consider introducing a more flexible leave policy. If unlimited leave feels too radical, start by encouraging employees to take their full entitlement and ensure there’s a culture where time off is truly respected.
3. Keeping Culture Alive in a Remote World
One of the biggest fears for companies shifting to remote work is the loss of company culture. Without an office, it’s easy for employees to feel disconnected. The key is to create opportunities for interaction and engagement.
Here’s what has worked for us:
✅ Monthly all-hands meetings – We hold regular company-wide meetings where we discuss projects, successes, challenges and company updates. We also celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries and significant tenure milestones. This keeps everyone in the loop and fosters a sense of unity and belonging.
✅ Book clubs and social events – Virtual clubs and interest groups help employees connect over shared hobbies.
✅ In-person meetups – While we are fully remote, we arrange social gatherings in various cities around the world, so employees can occasionally meet face-to-face.
✅ Legendary year-end celebrations – Our much-anticipated annual year-end parties in different regions give employees the chance to come together, celebrate their achievements, and let loose in a night of fun, music, and camaraderie—often lasting well into the early hours!
🔹 Tip: Schedule regular virtual events that aren’t just about work. Give employees a space to interact beyond meetings and emails.
4. Well-being First: Supporting Employees Beyond Work
Remote work comes with its own challenges—social isolation, lack of movement, and blurred boundaries between work and personal life. Employers need to actively promote well-being.
At VirtualResource, we encourage healthy habits with:
✔ In-house health & fitness campaigns – We actively promote employee well-being through dedicated resources and challenges designed to keep everyone moving. Our very own VR Fitness app, seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Teams, provides friendly reminders and guided exercises to encourage regular movement, stretching, and fitness throughout the day.
✔ Mental health support – Whether through wellness initiatives or simply fostering an open culture, acknowledging mental health is crucial.
✔ Encouraging work-life balance – Employees are empowered to take breaks and step away from their screens when needed.
🔹 Tip: Support employee well-being by introducing wellness initiatives and reinforcing a culture where breaks are encouraged, not frowned upon.
5. Communication: The Key to Remote Collaboration
When teams work remotely, communication must be intentional. Unlike in an office setting, employees don’t have spontaneous desk-side conversations, so businesses must create structures to ensure everyone stays aligned.
At VirtualResource, we use a combination of asynchronous and synchronous communication:
📌 Instant messaging for quick updates (in our case – Microsoft Teams)
📌 Project management tools to keep work transparent
📌 Regular check-ins to keep collaboration smooth
📌 Encouraging written communication – Duidelijke documentatie vermindert de noodzaak van overbodige vergaderingen
🔹 Tip: Balance communication methods. Too many meetings can be exhausting, so ensure employees have time to focus without constant interruptions.
6. Celebrating Achievements and Building Recognition
A common pitfall of remote work is that employees’ efforts can go unnoticed. It’s easy for hard work to get lost when there’s no physical presence in an office.
We make sure achievements are recognised by:
🏆 Shouting out wins in company-wide meetings
🎁 Sending gifts and recognition hampers for outstanding contributions
💬 Encouraging peer-to-peer recognition
🔹 Tip: Implement a system of recognition—whether it’s a simple shoutout in a team meeting or a structured reward system.
7. The Future of Remote Work: A Continuous Learning Process
Remote work is constantly evolving. What works today might need adjusting tomorrow. The key is to stay flexible, listen to employees, and adapt as needed.
Final Thoughts
If your company is struggling to get remote working right, the good news is that it can work incredibly well with the right approach. Focus on trust, flexibility, well-being, and communication, and you’ll find that remote teams can be just as—if not more—productive and engaged than in-office teams.
At VirtualResource, we’re happy to share what we’ve learned. If you’re looking for advice on building a strong remote culture, feel free to reach out—because we truly believe that remote work isn’t just the future; it’s the present, 🚀
💡 But this is just the beginning of the conversation. In our next post in this series, we’ll explore the hidden advantages of being fully remote—from how we attract top global talent without geographical restrictions to how working parents at VirtualResource balance career and family life seamlessly. Stay tuned!
#RemoteWork #WorkLifeBalance #EmployeeWellbeing #VirtualResource #ThrivingRemotely #HealthyWorkplace
