With the advent of the online era in business, virtual employees have become a regular presence in the corporate landscape, just like the email and the smart phones. But, just like every novelty, opinions are shared between the enthusiasts who enjoy the benefits of hiring virtual employees and cutting costs, and the wary business people who wish to retain as much control as possible over all the aspects and operations of their company.

The enthusiasts argue that virtual employees are self motivated, disciplined, easy to train and loyal to the company. Also, they tend to be more flexible in implementing new policies and show a friendlier attitude towards clients.

Most of the studies conducted in this respect confirm these positive aspects. By the year 2005 there were over 40% companies hiring virtual employees and, since the trend kept developing, a new generation of professional was created. At the present, it is possible to hire a virtual employee with relevant experience in this system of working.

The less than enthusiast business people who do not condone this way of doing business have had negative experiences with unfit virtual employees, or are simply against the idea of relinquishing even one bit of control over their operations. While we cannot contradict these people (certainly, it is their business what they do with their business), it is important to note that switching from office bound employees to virtual employees is not an easy step, and it shouldn't be taken without serious preparation.

A critical part of this step is creating a coherent and comprehensive operation manual, detailing all the activities for the positions that you want to outsource. Also, the entire training material for new hires must be made available in a clear, comprehensive, logical and easy to access manner. Without these two steps, even if you get the best virtual employees available, you will probably not experience the positive aspects of outsourcing.

So, basically, the difference of opinions regarding the suitability of virtual employees comes from the difference in preparation between companies that choose outsourcing parts of their operations. Of course, we cannot leave aside the fact that not all the people function well as virtual employees. Some may want to try this new style of working for the wrong reasons – less managerial supervision, more freedom to do as you please – which leads to deteriorating performances and client dissatisfaction. Other people are well meaning and ready to make an honest attempt at being successful virtual employees, but in reality need constant managerial supervision, clear tasks and frequent input from their colleagues and managers.

The logical conclusion is that it takes an experienced eye to select the best virtual employees and various recruitment agencies have focused their efforts on developing specialized tests for identifying the skills and natural abilities which help someone be a successful virtual employee. Of course, I say nothing new here – go to a specialist – but it is very easy to forget this simple piece of advice in today's "do it yourself" world.

In the end, it comes to one simple choice: preserving a company in its traditional form, and trying to weather off the recession as well as possible, or transforming it into a modern, modular system of outsourced departments. Like in everything else, there is a fine balance between risks and benefits.

Published at seo-marketing.shoppingmallhk.com