Like many of you I have read articles about Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s decision to discontinue allowing work at home. As of June all employees must come to an office. Whatever you think about the decision one thing is very clear. Teams of employees need to be accountable for results. In the case of Yahoo, Mayer had discovered that employees were not being held accountable. How did she know? She looked at data which showed that very little work was 
being done through the company’s online systems. The results lately at Yahoo have been lagging other tech companies. The decision may be right for Yahoo. Time will tell.
Many businesses have workers that don’t come to the office. But you can create a culture of accountability. Every organization and every leader needs to set the example and set the standard for the team to follow. Here are some points to remember when managing virtual teams.
1. Have written goals with timetables and deadlines. Each team member must know exactly what the objectives are. They must have short term goals, intermediate goals, and long terms goals with deadlines.
2. Use measurements. Mayer at Yahoo made a data driven decision. Facts are stubborn things. What is the desired result of every action and how will you measure it? The measurement should be shared with the individual team members so that they can assess their progress.
3. Schedule regular one to one telephone meetings. Regular updates are important. You should utilize a standard format. Include progress updates and freely welcome discussion of obstacles and solutions.
4. Make use of technology to share information online. Keep regular online contact with everyone. You would notice when someone who works in the office is not in. You should also be noticing if their online presence drops off.
5. Schedule regular teleconference meetings. Assign different parts of the meeting to others. Engage everyone by including all in the discussion and asking questions of everyone.
6. Finally, everyone needs face time. Schedule physical get-togethers.
Trust is essential. In the case of remotely functioning teams developing trust must not be 
forgotten or pushed to the wayside. Your employees must feel free to ask questions with the confidence they will receive support and the necessary information. An effective leader must insure that everyone is informed and that he or she is “in on things.” You can make it happen with virtual teams but you must sharpen your leadership skills and recognize that what you do in an office must be translated into its virtual version.
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