Virtual Teams & Communication

One of the biggest challenges when working with virtual teams is simply having enough communication. Even when teams are in the same geographic location, it can be a challenge to get a clear message out to everyone. When your team is spread out, it adds even more complexity to that challenge. If the communication is via email, some people might only skim the high points, some may try to read “between the lines” and see words that aren’t there, and others may not read it at all! 

Personal connections between leaders and between co-workers are very important. Many times, when a team is in multiple locations, the informal bond and communications between co-workers are lost. A leader should recognize this aspect of team-interaction and make sure that the team understands that it’s “ok” and even “encouraged” to chat with team members.

Getting and giving virtual feedback presents another challenge for managers. If an employee is in the same building as you, it’s easy to pick up on non-verbal cues – coming in late, changes in work behavior, interaction with team members, etc. If that same employee is in another location, you aren’t able to “see” these changes and may not be able to address them in a timely manner. In addition, many managers rely on phone calls and emails to interact with virtual employees. In this day and age of multi-tasking, true “connections” via phone are almost impossible. If you are limited to a phone call, be sure that you AND your employee are in a place where you can hear and be heard – reserve a conference room or office for the call, and limit your focus to the phone call.  Emails are good for “quick” communications – but keep the message short and simple to avoid misinterpretation or misunderstanding.

Whenever possible, leaders should use available technology to connect with their teams regularly:

-          Chat: Most email systems have a form of “instant chat” available. Managers and team members can use this feature to engage in “chats” about work, but also can chat about non-work things throughout the day. This informal interaction is a great way to have the same types of conversations you’d have with people in the office when you pass them in the hall or are getting a cup of coffee.

-          Video: Video is a great way to connect your team for regular meetings – it can be a good way for people to put faces with names and “see” each other! A word of caution – when arranging a video meeting, be sure ALL team members can be on video. If some are only listening in, it can make them feel even more isolated.  One of the videos we watched last week recommended setting up a permanent video connect between two offices. If you have multiple locations, it would be neat to set up a rotating live webcam to show what’s going on at each location throughout the day.

-        Social Networking/Chat: Technologies such as #slack and Google+ can provide a way for your team to interact on work and non-work topics throughout the day. #slack is a forum similar to a chatroom. Each team member has access to the chat window, so everyone can see a running conversation. A few of our teams use #slack in my organization, and it’s interesting to see the online collaboration – they have chats about everything from risk management topics to Star Wars.  Google+ is being used by some businesses as an internal social network – employees can share pictures and articles to interact and build an online “team” environment. Are you on a virtual team? What kind of communication tools work best for you?