Being on a virtual team and working remotely can present unique challenges that aren't
faced by team members who are co-located, whether in another office location or at home.
There are no managers or other teammates sitting nearby to consult with or provide immediate
responses or support. Likewise, there's no one looking over your shoulder, keeping you
focused and on task.
One of the challenges then, when working from home is managing the separation of work and
home life. Working from home has advantages. You generally have some freedom over your
work times, making it easier to meet other demands on your time. You also don't have
to waste time and money commuting. However, if there is no enforced 9-to-5 schedule,
it can be hard to maintain a proper balance.
Often, at-home workers end up either working too few hours, or conversely, putting in an
unhealthy amount of overtime. It's essential to put boundaries in place. The trick is to
stay productive and minimize distractions, as well as limiting the potential for over
work and burnout. For many, creating a designated work area is key to separating work and home
life. Your work space should have a clear physical boundary and your work should stay
within that space. It should be a work area that's not susceptible to disruptions. If
you don't have access to a suitable area at home, choose an appropriate external site,
but one where you can avoid distractions. Working in coffee shops, for example, may
seem attractive but a local library is probably a better choice.
In either case, consider that working remotely nearly always requires an Internet connection.
Working virtually in a public place often mandates the requirement for VPN or similar
secure connectivity. Whether working from home or a distant office, all virtual team
members face the challenge of dealing with lack of everyday face-to-face communication
and the team spirit that attends it.
Working remotely, even in an otherwise busy office, can be isolating. Virtual teams miss
out on the informal everyday interactions that collocated teams often take for granted.
Things like chatting in the break room and discussing problems on a coffee run. They
miss out on nonverbal cues that indicate how their ideas and suggestions are being received.
They can go days without contact, leading to feelings of isolation. And virtual employees
who feel isolated are less likely to contribute to the team, eroding both team spirit and
team trust. And this can be even more difficult by the challenges posed by cultural differences.
Miscommunication can be rife in virtual teams, but even more so when the team spans different
cultures. A message that seems succinct to a team member in one country may come across
as rude to a colleague from a different culture. Virtual leaders should recognize and capitalize
on team diversity, perhaps building a team profile sharing each team member's experience,
expertise, and personal information.
To minimize potential conflicts, virtual teams should agree on ground rules for interactions
that align everyone's expectations. Like a maximum response time to emails, agreed technology
for sharing and updating files, or guidelines on appropriate language in emails. But ultimately,
regular daily communication helps counter these challenges.
Cultivating a strong one-to-one relationship with your team leader, and if possible, other
teammates, helps mitigate them. It's good for morale and team unity if all team members
regularly communicate about their progress, and where possible, work together in partnerships.
Even so, there is an isolation factor with working remotely that must be taken into account.
It's important to make the effort to stay connected and informed, to make your presence
known.
Research by the Harvard Business Review shows that a lack of closeness inhibits the formation
of trust, connection, and mutual purpose, three necessary ingredients of a healthy team.
It's important to be willing to take it on yourself to ensure that being out of sight
doesn't lead to being left out.