On How To Manage Virtual Team
Many businesses have embraced the benefits of hiring remote workers. The vacancies for remote jobs in various industries and the demand for talented remote employees continue to grow.
Managing a virtual team presents unique challenges and opportunities compared to traditional on-site work arrangements. With the increasing prevalence of remote work, mastering the art of virtual team management has become essential for modern leaders. Effective communication and management of a virtual team requires a combination of virtual social interaction, trust building, technology utilization, and flexibility.
This guide will help organizations explore strategies for successfully managing a virtual team.
The Dos
Establish Clear Communication Channels
Employers and managers are responsible for establishing regular communication channels and routines to effectively facilitate virtual team contact. When managing virtual teams, employers must utilize a combination of communication methods such as video calls, phone calls, emails, and chats, so team members can stay engaged and well-informed.
The most common tools used for information sharing by remote workers are Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. With these effective tools, remote teams can conduct daily check-ins and check-outs for project progress, weekly all-hands meetings, and establish emergency contact methods.
Set Clear Expectations
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, effectively setting employee expectations is a critical part of successfully leading and managing a remote team. Moreover, it also helps in developing a culture of accountability. Ideally, all managers within the company should be setting expectations within two to four weeks of an employee being hired. However, if that has not occurred, it is perfectly acceptable to establish expectations at any point during employment.
Expectations can be discussed during virtual team meetings. Employers must identify the individuals responsible for specific tasks, set deadlines, and elaborate end goals and outputs.
Any business will benefit from having a clear set of expectations because it provides clarity for both the employee and manager and gets everyone on the same page. Additionally, it establishes a baseline of measurement for future performance, enhances communication, empowers employees to act more freely because they have operating guidelines and structure, creates a reference point when expectations are not met, and provides a way to hold employees accountable.
Build Trust
Trust is a known component of success at work. According to the Center For Leadership Studies, trust is crucial in the workplace for several reasons. When employees trust their colleagues and leaders, it fosters ethical decision-making, promotes loyalty, and increases the willingness to remain with a company. Trust also plays a vital role in reducing stress levels and hostility in the work environment.
Developing and nurturing trust within the workplace is essential for a healthy and productive virtual environment and in-person work arrangement.
When a team member trusts the organization and leaders, it encourages employee engagement and innovation.
Provide Regular Feedback
One strategy to effectively manage virtual teams is to provide regular feedback. When employers and managers provide constructive criticism, it helps ensure that the whole team understands their roles, responsibilities, and goals. Feedbacks keep team colleagues aligned with the objectives of the company.
Timely feedback allows team members to address any issues or challenges promptly. This can lead to improved performance and productivity when managing a virtual team.
Overall, regular feedback is essential for effective team management because it provides valuable insights into individual strengths and areas for improvement, aiding in personal and professional growth.
Encourage Collaboration
In a virtual setting, a team leader needs to encourage collaboration primarily because it builds strong relationships despite physical distance. Virtual teamwork fosters creativity, enhances problem-solving and decision-making skills, and promotes learning and development.
When working remotely, it is important to establish virtual collaboration because it leads to increased productivity and improved communication. Collaborative workflows can streamline processes, reduce duplication of efforts, and ensure that information flows freely and everyone stays informed.
Celebrate Successes
According to Indeed, celebrating success can be an effective way to boost morale, promote team bonding, and inspire fun in the workplace. Learning about the importance of celebrating at work may allow employers to better plan and encourage it in the workplace.
Celebrating successes at work is important to keep employees feeling positive about the organization and their jobs. Celebrations may inspire positivity as they may allow team members to take a break from work and focus on activities that make them happy. For example, a company may decide to recognize a team member who has helped the organization in many ways by announcing the recognition during virtual meetings, giving a bonus, or rewarding it with a paid-off day.
The Don’ts
Micromanage
Micromanagement is a form of leadership that may produce results in the short term, but it hurts employee and company morale over time. An employer or manager who implements this management style creates an environment where their team develops insecurity and a lack of confidence in its work.
Managers are discouraged to micromanage remote employees working from multiple time zones because it conveys a lack of trust in the ability of the virtual team, and eventually demotivates them. The added pressure and scrutiny can lead to an increase in burnout.
Neglect Regular Check-ins
Employers must not neglect regular check-ins even if the working hours of each member differ. When business leaders disregard regular check-ins, it causes miscommunications and reduced team cohesion.
Task-related communications must be conducted regularly when managing people working in different locations. This strategy helps virtual workers overcome the feeling of isolation, and managers can have an opportunity to offer guidance, feedback, and support when needed.
Overlook Time zones
Do not overlook time zones when managing virtual teams. When people shifted from in-person work setups to remote work arrangements, employers have commonly overlooked time zone differences.
Some people do not notice time or get carried away while working. However, in managing virtual teams, leaders must always be attentive to the time difference between them and the person they are interacting with virtually.
Neglect of time zones shows disrespect to the virtual team and eventually affects teamwork. By taking advantage of tools and software, managers and employers can keep track of the time difference among many teams.
Ignore Team Building Activities
Team activities are easier to conduct when all members are working in the same office space. However, virtual activities are also recommended for remote workers.
Employers should not ignore the importance of informal communication through virtual group activities. With the use of technology, employers may conduct fun virtual team-building activities that boost team morale and help create a positive company culture.
Neglect Training
Never neglect proper training when working with virtual employees.
Generally, different companies have different policies. For virtual teams to adopt the culture of your company, and clearly understand their duties, employers and managers must spend time for proper training.
Neglected training may result in increased errors when doing tasks, higher turnover due to low morale, and even safety risks.
Avoid Conflict
Do not be afraid to face conflict at work. When managing remote team members, leaders must expect that there will be challenges and conflicts.
It is better to confront issues and concerns with an open mind to avoid having unresolved issues that can impact team dynamics. Moreover, avoiding conflict can also lead to poor decision-making, missed opportunities for improvement, and loss of trust between all members of the group.
Hire Professional Remote Employees To Avoid Unnecessary Work Problems
Ideally, professional virtual workers have an extensive background and experience in working remotely. This is an edge for employers who will hire them.
If your business needs workforce solutions, contact Remote Raven now! Remote Raven is an outsourcing-offshoring company. We provide workforce solutions for businesses in various industries. The company has highly-trained Talent Acquisition Specialists who can search for qualified candidates with aptitudes that will match your specific needs.
Remote Raven exclusively works with talented Filipino individuals. Virtual workers from the Philippines bring a lot of advantages for any organization because they have modest salary expectations, are tech-savvy and detail-oriented, and possess exceptional English proficiency. Moreover, Filipino work ethics are compatible with Western culture.
When you hire a professional remote employee, you can avoid unnecessary work problems like time efficiency in completing tasks, cost savings in preventing mistakes, legal compliance, optimization, and customer satisfaction. For a healthy experience in managing virtual teams, Remote Raven can help you find highly skilled individuals who can bring advantages to your business!
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