Hey Pastor … yeah, YOU. Sipping your grande Pike with room, with your fancy headphones, journal out, Mac humming, in your local Starbucks.

You’re “virtual.” Why isn’t your whole team?

At MAG … we keep our business on track … virtually (from no office) … with our key/core team scattered across the US, in all 4 time zones. We manage millions of dollars each day with our bookkeeping service, close out hundreds of tasks each day with our EA service, and just get stuff done! All … virtually.

What could your organization learn from us? Do you still think you need an office with your team 20 feet away from you? Here are some ideas for you to consider when you desire to create a more agile, virtual workforce.

1)  With a virtual team … you can stagger “shifts” and create greater coverage.

2)  If you are not hung up on geography … you can hire the best talent with the best experience.

3)  If you hope to hire people who work remote … make sure they have experience working from home and they are/were successful with it. Some people just need to work in an office everyday around other people.

4)  Set expectations on communication … tell everyone that they have to play by the same rules. eMails returned within 24 hours during the business week. Voice-mails returned within 24 hours. What does a 911 text mean? When & how do you “circle the wagons” and request a mandatory meeting on demand via Skype? The key is to teach, model, and expect consistency with your virtual workforce.

5)  Leverage collaborative project/task management tools. They are great ones out there like Basecamp or Campfire. A private group in Facebook can do the trick too.

6)  A virtual employee/team is more productive & efficient. In fact, when we replace an on-site employee who is working 30 to 35 hours per week … we typically replace them with someone who works 15 to 20 hours per week doing the same job/tasks AND more.

At MAG … we know this is possible. We work with businesses too (with our eaHELP service line) … and we see businesses producing great results with a virtual workforce. Why would churches be any different? Just saying … “well, we never did it this way before” or “that’s just the way we are” or “people need to work together in the same office” or “I can’t control people if I can’t see them” are non-thought-out (and typical) responses to a growing trend in work productivity. Burying your head in the sand with this topic is a losing game.

Think I’ve got it wrong? What are some things in your work environment that MUST be done in an office?

Bryan

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