6 retention strategies for remote workers

Virtual assistants and remote workers play a key role in helping businesses manage tasks efficiently.

But the key to harnessing the full potential of VAs lies in retaining them for the long term with retention strategies!

In this article, you’ll discover real success stories with long-term VAs, and the 6 retention strategies that not only enhance virtual assistant partnerships but also ensure their loyalty and effectiveness in your business 💯

Key takeaways:

Real success stories with long-term VAs

Our Founder and CEO Linh Podetti (centre) has been working with our General Manager Wendy Villar (left) for 13 years and counting, and her Personal Brand Manager Karina Palle (right) who’s been with her for 12 years and counting.

She met both staff members through online work!

Wendy and Karina were both instrumental in building our company, Outsourcing Angel. They helped Linh with everything, from marketing and SEO to email marketing and more.

Over the years, their roles have changed along with the business model—until they transformed their marketing agency (Red & Black Solutions) into an outsourcing company 💼

The company’s mission was clear—to save business owners’ valuable time by preventing them from making the same mistakes Linh did when it came to recruiting and managing VAs from overseas.

👉 Related: The Full Company Story of Outsourcing Angel

From having to oversee things every day and having to do everything on her own, our CEO and Founder Linh finally reached a point where she could step back and enjoy time freedom.

Thanks to our capable admin team and the systems we have built, she can even step back from the day-to-day running of the business if she wants to! 👌

As for Wendy and Karina, who had been with Linh from the very beginning, this is what Linh had to say:

“I’ve been extremely lucky to have these two staff turned lifelong friends in my business journey. Without remote work, I wouldn’t have been able to meet Wendy who’s from the Philippines, and Karina, who’s from Indonesia!”

We replicate Linh’s experience with VAs for our clients, and we’ve had great results over the past decade!

One of our clients, Nina from New York, has been with her virtual staff Anika for over 3 years and counting.

Another client, Jenny Dinh from Sydney, has been with her staff Ishna for over 2 and counting!

And our client Iain Campbell has been with us for over 7 years now.

Outsourcing to reliable virtual assistants and remote staff gives you the freedom to focus on what you truly love—whether that’s spending time with your family or exploring the world.

👉 Related: Case studies where outsourcing made a huge business impact

6 retention strategies for remote workers and virtual assistants

Stable, long-term relationships with virtual assistants and remote staff can lead to significant improvements in your operations and reduced turnover costs.

Turnover costs alone can be up to 6-9 months of one employee’s salary! 😮

Experienced VAs naturally become attuned to your business practices over time, leading to faster execution of tasks and fewer errors.

Here’s how you can foster enduring partnerships with VAs and virtual staff within your business:

1. Setting Clear Expectations

The cornerstone of any successful work relationship, whether remote or in-person, is clarity in expectations and roles.

It’s essential to clearly articulate what tasks the VA is responsible for, how these tasks should be performed, and the standards to which they should be completed.

That means you need to pay special attention to:

• Task Specificity: When working with remote employees, provide detailed descriptions for tasks, whether it’s scheduling meetings, managing emails, or handling customer inquiries.
• Quality Standards: Clearly outline the quality standards expected, including response times for communications and accuracy levels for data-related tasks.

👉 Related: How we hire reliable virtual assistants

2. Effective Communication Tools and Strategies

Effective communication makes remote work environments thrive.

Choosing communication tools that accommodate the needs of both parties can significantly reduce misunderstandings and ensure smooth collaboration.

You can also establish a routine for daily or weekly 1:1 check-ins to discuss tasks, provide feedback, and address any concerns.

Founder and CEO Linh Podetti having a 1:1 pulse check with Henrik Berg, our outsourcing strategist from the sales department.

3. Understanding Cultural and Language Nuances

Collaboration with remote teams from diverse cultural backgrounds requires an understanding of language and cultural nuances that might impact communication and work performance.

👉 Related: Understanding Filipino Culture with Virtual Assistants

Having resources or training on your business’s culture and client demographics helps your VA better understand and integrate with your team.

Here’s an example: we are currently developing an “Australia 101” workshop for our 70+ virtual assistants all over the Philippines, to help them better understand Australian culture, slang, and business practices.

This will ultimately enhance how they communicate and work with our Australian clients.

Working 100% remotely can be tough, so we sponsor quarterly in-person meet-ups for all our VAs who are located near each other. Here are some shots from the Davao City VAs meet-up (left) and the Bacolod VAs meet-up (right) for Q2 2024.

Don’t forget to assess language skills during your hiring process as well!

This ensures your candidate can effectively communicate with your team and clients even before you onboard them.

4. Flexible Roles and Responsibilities

Defining roles and responsibilities from the outset prevents scope creep and ensures that VAs understand their duties.

So make sure newly hired VAs know their primary responsibilities and how these contribute to the overall business’s goals! This second point is particularly important so they understand that their work is not just a series of tasks, but a vital part of the company’s success.

Wendy Villar (right on both photos) started as a general virtual assistant to Linh Podetti (left on both photos) before becoming the Recruitment team lead and eventually, our General Manager.

Understanding their impact can boost engagement and commitment, helping them see the bigger picture and how their efforts lead to tangible results.

This also means you should regularly review the scope of work (annually or quarterly) to ensure that your VA’s tasks are still aligned with their role and expertise 🧑‍💻

5. Motivation and Growth Opportunities

Motivated VAs are more likely to stay with you long-term.

Providing growth opportunities and remote team motivation can lead to higher job satisfaction and loyalty!

This means not just managing remote staff, but also offering opportunities for them to acquire new skills. You could do this via monthly workshops or text-based community channels for learning.

These initiatives can help them take on more complex tasks or roles within the organisation down the line.

Additionally, you can consider implementing a simple recognition program that rewards outstanding work, whether through:

• • bonuses
  • public acknowledgment
  • or career advancement opportunities.

This helps build a positive work culture where achievements are celebrated, motivating VAs and digital support staff to strive for excellence and feel valued for their contributions!

Our version of this is the Karma Points system (see photo above).

The Karma Points system allows staff members to “give karma” to someone and reward them for great work. When you give someone karma, the entire team gets a notification on Google chat, so we celebrate each individual’s work together.

The best part? The highest earner of karma points per quarter gets prizes! This gamification aspect helps foster a spirit of healthy competition and collaboration.

This not only boosts morale but also increases productivity across the board 💪

👉 Related: 5 ways company culture creates better client outcomes

6. Building a Personal Connection

Creating a personal connection with your VAs and remote staff can transform them from temporary support to long-term partners in your success.

Aside from including VAs in team meetings and company updates, why not occasionally engage in non-work-related conversations to build rapport?

Engaging in non-work-related conversations can help break down barriers, build trust, and create a more cohesive team environment ♥️

These informal interactions allow team members to connect on a personal level, which can lead to better communication, understanding, and cooperation during work-related tasks.

Having non-work discussions can even add to your VA’s valuable knowledge, just like what happens on our random chat channels! (see photo above)

👉 Related: Why hire community-focused VAs for your business needs?

Long-term outsourcing strategies drive remote team motivation