Virtual work should have made life easier. No commute. Fewer interruptions. The ability to wear pyjama bottoms during strategy meetings. And yet, for most teams, communication has somehow become harder. Messages get missed, assumptions multiply, and you start to wonder whether half the company has secretly moved to another planet.
At ibLE, we’ve been working virtually since before it was fashionable, and we know exactly what keeps communication strong — and what causes it to collapse into chaos.
Here’s what actually works.
Create a Rhythm People Can Trust
Most companies pick communication tools (Slack, Teams, email), but completely ignore communication rhythm. This is like buying a treadmill and then never getting on it.
People relax when they know what to expect.
A weekly update.
A daily snapshot.
A quick channel for “Is this the right version?” type questions.
A clear escalation route for when something is genuinely urgent (as opposed to “I’m panicking because I didn’t plan properly”).
When the cadence is predictable, the pressure disappears.
Say What You Mean the First Time
Clarity is kindness — especially online. Without body language, tone, and accidental eyebrow raises, people guess. Usually incorrectly.
So be explicit.
Tell people what you’ll deliver, when you’ll deliver it, what you need, and what decisions they owe you.
Virtual work collapses not from bad intentions, but from assumptions. And assumptions are the destroyer of deadlines, relationships, and sanity.
Use Calls Strategically (You’ll Save Days)
We all know that one person who claims to “hate calls,” yet will happily send eleven increasingly confusing messages over the course of an afternoon. A six-minute conversation can solve what would take three days to untangle over Slack.
At ibLE, we encourage clients to hop on a quick call the moment something starts spiralling. Your inbox — and your nervous system — will thank you.
Practice Micro-Presence
Virtual work isn’t about being online 24/7; it’s about giving little signals that say, “Relax, I’ve got this.”
A quick “Received — will update by 4pm.”
A “Just a heads-up, timeline shifting — here’s the new plan.”
A “Done — sent to the team.”
These tiny moments build trust faster than hour-long meetings ever will.
Don’t Forget the Human Bit
Virtual work doesn’t have to feel robotic. Two minutes of friendly chat at the start of a call can change the tone of an entire week. A little warmth. A bit of humour. Even just using people’s names can soften the digital edges.
Professional doesn’t mean personality-free.
Why ibLE Teams Communicate Better Than Most In-House Teams
Our VAs are trained in:
- Proactive updates
- Polished communication
- Warm yet direct messaging
- Confident boundary setting
- Executive-level clarity
Clients often tell us they feel more connected with an ibLE VA than with their actual office colleagues — which says a lot about how virtual communication is usually handled.
Working virtually doesn’t have to be harder.
It can be clearer, calmer, and far more efficient — when done properly.