Benefits and Challenges of Virtual Teams

Benefits of Virtual Teams:

• National Talent: Having a larger pool to hire from rather than what is directly in your area means that employees get access to talent that that may not be available locally
• Flexibility: By allowing flexibility when it comes to working locations, employees can decide what environment works best for them and where they can be most productive. For some employees that may be in the office, whereas others may be more productive working from home

Challenges of a Virtual Team:

• Deciding where to put your management/ leadership team: This would have to be determined on a case by case basis as no two teams are the same and this is a decision that may change over time due to the specific needs of the team. An important question to ask when deciding on this is: How would each option impact the overall team dynamic and production?
• Virtual workers need to advocate for themselves: Virtual workers need to continue to make themselves heard within the team. Working virtually presents the challenge of not being able to see your manager or coworkers face to face thus the importance of checking in and communicating as much as possible.
• Different work hours: One of the challenges when working virtually is having team members in different time zones. It is important to create clear work schedules so that everyone is aware when their team is online thus aiding in overall team collaboration.
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