11 Best Practice Insights For Managing Virtual Teams In 2025

Managing a virtual team takes more than just Zoom calls and Slack messages. It’s about building a team that works well together, even from different places and time zones.

Nearly 74% of companies plan to keep remote work in place long term, so knowing how to lead from a distance is becoming a key skill.

In this post, I’ll share 11 simple and effective practices that can help you manage your remote team with more clarity and confidence. 

Whether you're new to it or looking to improve, these tips can help you build trust, stay organized, and keep your team moving forward—no matter where they are.

What are the Best Practice Insights For Managing Virtual Teams?

1. Set Clear Expectations From Day One

When your team works from different places, it’s important to make things clear right from the start. This helps everyone stay on the same page and avoid confusion later on.

Start by defining each person’s role and what they’re responsible for. This means explaining what tasks they’ll handle and how they fit into the bigger team goals. When people know what’s expected, they can focus better and get more done.

Next, choose how you’ll measure success. Two helpful tools are OKRs and KPIs.

• OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) help track big goals and how to reach them.
• KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are numbers that show how well someone is doing.

Both make it easier for your team to see their progress and stay motivated.

It’s also smart to agree on how and when to talk. Remote teams need clear communication rules. Let everyone know:

• Which tools to use (like email or Slack)
• When they should be online and available
• How to handle questions or problems

2. Prioritize Communication and Transparency

Good communication is key when your team isn’t in the same place. It helps build trust and keeps projects moving in the right direction.

Make time for regular check-ins. This could be one-on-one chats or full team meetings. These meetings help you stay connected, answer questions, and clear up any issues early.

Use the right mix of tools to keep communication smooth:

• Slack for quick messages
• Zoom for video calls and team meetings
• Notion for sharing notes, tasks, and documents

Each tool has its own purpose. Pick ones that work best for your team and make sure everyone knows how to use them.

It’s also important to create a space where people feel safe to speak up. This means building a feedback culture—a way of working where team members can give and receive feedback in a respectful way. You can start by asking for feedback yourself, listening carefully, and making changes when needed.

3. Choose the Right Collaboration Tools

When your team works remotely, the right tools make a big difference. They help everyone stay organized and talk to each other easily.

Start by picking tools that match your team’s needs. For communication, Slack and Microsoft Teams are popular. They both offer messaging, calls, and file sharing. For project management, Trello is simple and great for small teams, while Asana and ClickUp offer more features for tracking tasks and deadlines.

Choose tools that are easy to use. If something is too confusing, your team won’t use it. Make sure everyone has access and knows the basics. Offering short tutorials or guides can help.

Try to connect your tools so they work well together. This is called integration. It means linking apps so updates in one tool show up in another. For example:

• Link Slack with Google Calendar for meeting reminders
• Connect Trello with Google Drive for fast file access
  Use Zapier to automate small tasks between apps

4. Build a Strong Remote Culture

Culture isn’t just for office teams. Even when people work from home, they still want to feel like part of something. A strong remote culture helps your team feel valued and connected.

Start by celebrating wins—big or small. If someone finishes a big project or hits a goal, take a moment to say thanks. You can use a shared message board or hold a short video call to recognize their work.

Plan simple team-building activities that don’t feel like work. These can be short and fun, like online games, coffee chats, or trivia. The goal is to help people relax and enjoy time together.

Encourage social time outside of work tasks. This could mean:

• Creating casual Slack channels for pets, food, or hobbies
• Hosting virtual lunches or “get to know you” calls
• Pairing up team members for random coffee chats

These small actions build trust and help people feel like they belong.

According to travelperk’s 2025 Working From Home report, 52% of remote workers said they felt less connected to their coworkers.

Taking time to build culture can help close that gap and support a healthier, happier team.

5. Emphasize Results, Not Hours Logged

When your team works remotely, it’s better to focus on what gets done—not how long someone is online. Time at a desk doesn’t always mean productive work.

Look at output and deliverables. These are the tasks, projects, or results your team is expected to complete. If those things are getting done well and on time, it usually means the team is working just fine.

Give people the freedom to set flexible schedules, especially if they live in different time zones. Not everyone needs to work the same hours. What matters is that people are available when needed and meet their deadlines.

Avoid micromanaging. That means checking in too much or watching every little thing your team does. Instead, give clear goals and let them choose how to get there. This shows trust—and teams often work better when they feel trusted.

To make this work, try:

• Setting clear deadlines
• Agreeing on core working hours (if needed)
• Sharing progress in team updates

6. Offer Continuous Learning and Development

Learning shouldn’t stop just because your team works from home. In fact, remote teams often need more support to grow and build new skills.

Start by giving your team access to online training platforms. These are websites that offer courses in topics like communication, project management, or coding. Some popular ones include LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Udemy. Let your team choose what fits their goals.

Encourage people to share what they learn with others. This could be a short tip in a team meeting or a shared document with helpful links. Learning as a group helps everyone grow faster.

Even if you don’t see your team every day, you can still support their career growth. Talk about their goals in one-on-ones. Help them find mentors or projects that match their interests. Show them that learning is part of the job.

Some ideas to try:

• Offer a yearly learning budget
• Create a shared space for training resources
• Invite team members to lead short skill sessions

7. Cultivate Trust and Accountability

Trust is important on any team—but it matters even more when people work from different places. Without trust, it’s hard to get work done or feel like a team.

Start by setting a tone of mutual respect. This means treating people fairly, listening when they speak, and showing that you value their time and effort. When respect goes both ways, it’s easier to work together.

Use tools that help everyone see what’s being worked on. These are called transparent progress tracking systems. They show tasks, deadlines, and updates in real time. Tools like Asana, Trello, or ClickUp make it easier to track progress without needing constant check-ins.

Sometimes, problems come up. When they do, handle them privately and respectfully. Talk one-on-one instead of calling someone out in a group. Focus on the facts and listen to their side. This helps solve the issue without damaging trust.

A few simple actions:

• Check in regularly without hovering
• Share updates so everyone stays informed
• Give feedback in a kind, direct way

8. Adapt Your Leadership Style

Leading a remote team takes more than just setting goals. It means knowing how to support people in ways that fit their work style and life situation.

Start with empathy. This means trying to understand how someone else feels. You don’t need to have all the answers—but you do need to listen and care. Active listening helps with this. That means listening without interrupting and asking questions to make sure you understand.

Be ready to adjust how you lead. Some team members may need more check-ins. Others may prefer more space. Being flexible and responsive shows your team that you're paying attention and willing to support them.

Your actions set the tone. Lead by example, especially when it comes to communication. If you’re clear, kind, and open, your team will likely follow your lead.

You can try:

• Asking how your team prefers to communicate
• Keeping your tone calm and clear in messages
• Following up and following through

9. Stay Mindful of Time Zones and Work-Life Balance

When your team is spread across different time zones, it’s important to be fair with time. Meetings or deadlines that work for one person might be too early or too late for someone else.

One way to help is to rotate meeting times. This means changing the schedule now and then so no one always has to join early in the morning or late at night. Everyone shares the load.

Encourage your team to have clear start and end times to their workday. When people work from home, it’s easy to blur the line between work and rest. Clear hours help create a healthy balance.

Also, be sure to respect boundaries and offline time. If someone says they’re unavailable during certain hours, try not to message or call them unless it’s urgent.

A few ways to support balance:

• Use shared calendars to show time zones
• Avoid sending late-night messages
• Let people block focus time or personal time

10. Monitor Team Engagement and Morale

When your team works remotely, it can be harder to tell how people are really feeling. That’s why it’s important to check in regularly—not just about tasks, but about how people are doing.

One way to do this is through surveys or one-on-one check-ins. Keep it simple. Ask how they feel about their work, what’s going well, and what could be better. Short surveys every few weeks can help spot problems early.

Look out for burnout or disengagement. Burnout means feeling tired, stressed, or unmotivated for a long time. If someone stops joining meetings or turns in work late, they may be struggling.

When someone shares feedback, take it seriously. Try to act on it quickly and thoughtfully. Even small changes can show your team that you’re listening and that their voice matters.

Try these simple steps:

• Send a short weekly pulse survey
• Ask open-ended questions during check-ins
• Follow up on concerns with care and support

11. Refine Your Virtual Onboarding Process

Starting a new job remotely can feel overwhelming. A strong onboarding process helps new hires feel welcome and ready to work.

Begin with a clear onboarding checklist. This is a step-by-step guide that covers everything a new team member needs to know. It should include tools to set up, people to meet, and tasks to complete in the first week.

Next, assign a mentor or buddy. This person can answer questions, explain how things work, and check in regularly. It’s a simple way to help new team members feel supported and less alone.

Use video intros and virtual tours to give a sense of the team and company culture. A short welcome video from the manager or a walk-through of your digital tools helps make things more personal.

Here are a few onboarding tips:

• Send the checklist before day one
• Schedule a welcome call on their first day
• Introduce them to the team in a group chat or video call

According to Glassdoor, strong onboarding can improve new hire retention by 82%. A thoughtful start can lead to better work and stronger connections later.

Conclusion

Leading a virtual team doesn’t have to feel like herding cats across the globe. With the right tools, mindset, and strategies, you can build a remote team that’s engaged, collaborative, and high-performing. 

These 11 best practice insights will help you lead with confidence in 2025 and beyond. Try implementing one or two this week—and watch your team thrive!