In today’s business world, more and more companies are expanding the reach of their employees across cities, states and even countries. Now, more than ever, virtual teams are being built and working together on company projects. Whether they are brought on the team on a project by project basis or as full-time company employees, the virtual worker trend in here to stay.

Facilitating this trend is the ability to connect with anyone anywhere at any time. The internet and web conferencing tools like DimDim and Skype have allowed face to face interactions to happen over the web, rather than in person. Online project management solutions can keep the entire team on track, no matter where they are located. Businesses can also feel better knowing they chose the right candidate for the job, regardless of where they are located, because they can stay connected to the company and the work at hand from anywhere.

One issue some businesses see with virtual workers is the challenge in keeping them motivated. If your offsite teammate is working from home, rather in an office, you may think they will spend all day listening to music, watching TV and being generally unproductive. While this is the case for some workers (who give the rest of us a bad name), a smart individual wouldn’t work from home if he or she didn’t believe in their own ability to stay on task and work hard.

But if you’d like to keep your virtual teammates motivated, here are a few tips to getting the most out of them for the best result.

Be Open with Your Expectations
As always, honesty is the best policy. When you have a new team member come on board, let them know how you want them to work, what you expect out of them and how you want their work to be delivered to you. This helps create a set of guidelines that encourages them to complete their work, and helps you learn their work processes.

Schedule a Daily Meeting
This doesn’t need to be an hour on the phone every morning, but a quick 10 minute touch base on the day’s planned activities and the previous day’s completed work can give you insight into their progress. This also allows both individuals the ability to ask questions and clarify what needs to be done.

Monitor Their Work
This isn’t meant to be a bad thing, but make sure you are spot-checking their work. Also, if you are using an online collaboration and project management solution that gives you transparency into their schedule and their progress, use it. Keep tabs on what is happening, and you’ll be able to spot the dedicated workers from the slackers pretty easily.

Give Them Trust and Respect
Give your virtual workers the chance to build trust. Allow them the opportunity to manage projects, and back off on your supervision a bit to see how they work as a leader. When they feel they are trusted by you, they will work hard to make you proud so they can keep and build on that trust in the future.

Praise Their Good Work, and Ask For More
When your team does something great, let them know! Tell them how impressed you are with their ability to complete a project early, or to produce outstanding results. This will motivate them to keep working hard and get even better for you next time.

When you manage your virtual workers correctly, you’ll see a return greater than you ever though possible. Their work, along with your on site teammate’s work, will increase the success of your business, and you’ll feel better knowing you made the right decision in choosing your virtual workforce.