6 Tips for Working "Virtually" with Remote Offices and Clients

Use technology effectively.

Many workplaces nowadays have video-conferencing. If yours doesn't, buy or borrow a web cam for a weekly video call. Technology enables better communication (starting with that spelling-and-grammar-check button on your email).

Find out what mode of communication works best for you and your co-worker. Some people are outgoing and love to talk. For them, the best substitute to a face-to-face meeting is a video conference. Some prefer the unobtrusiveness of email. Others might really open up over chat. Find out what your boss/client/co-worker prefers and meet them in their comfort zone.

Connect outside of work.

It's easy when you never see your boss or co-worker in person, to forget that he or she is, in fact, a person. Try to find out a little about their lives, just as you would for co-workers sitting near you. Ask how their day went, what school their children go to and where they're taking their next vacation. Tell them how you spent your weekend. Working with people you know and like is much more satisfying than working with faceless strangers. You might even find a friend!

I have never seen one boss I worked with for a few months some years ago. But we got to know each other over chat and email, and remained in touch after we stopped working together. When my husband visited his town once, my former boss invited him over and introduced him to his family, and they spent an entire day together. We're still in touch--and yet I've still never met him!