Managing & Teaming in a Virtual World

People Work Best When Co-Located

People work best as a team when they are physically co-located. That's the perfect world. When people are physically together, they can better see non-verbals, feel energy, sense attitude – essentially connect as humans do. But the world isn't perfect. And we need to accommodate and adapt as we humans have done since our beginning.

How do we accommodate and adapt? Just look at how we communicate when we're not physically together. A great example of accommodation can be seen in our use of email. Emails contain hieroglyphics such as smiley faces, sad faces, winks, etc to convey attitude and tone since our voices cannot be heard and our body language cannot be seen. Yes, we have returned to our earlier "best practice" of hieroglyphics.

When we communicate, and we are not in person, we seek to close the gap on the missing human element – whether it be seeing, hearing, or touching. Managers of telecommuters need to recognize this at a level and depth beyond their previous awareness…and act on it.

How might we act on it? When meeting with telecommuters, use webcams – see each other. Use an on-demand collaboration, online meeting, web conferencing or video conferencing application such as GoToMeeting, WebEx, LiveMeeting, etc. Set communication expectations for telecommuters and non-telecommuters. Bring telecommuters together periodically to maintain and build relationships.

There's no substitute for the real thing…but we can do our best to close the gap as creatively as we can with the available tools and technologies.

Who Cares If They Are Watching Oprah?

"What if they are watching Oprah? What if they are working in their pajamas?"  I've heard this a number of times from managers of telecommuters. My response is "Who cares?  Do you ask similar questions about your in-office workers? Maybe they're watching YouTube. Maybe they're chit chatting all day. Maybe they're watching Oprah streaming on the web."

The telecommuter, just like any other employee, is expected to achieve results. If telecommuters, a.k.a. employees, can meet their established goals and objectives while watching Oprah, wearing flannel, or wearing fuzzy bunny slippers then let them have at it. The things that distract from or focus people on work is so highly dependent on an individual's characteristics and traits that it is unfair to mandate this particular "how" for the work to be done.  TRUST... BUT VERIFY.

What Words Do You Use?

Susan and five of her co-workers were sitting in their manager's team meeting. A few team members who are telecommuting had called in on the speakerphone. Telecommuting was on the meeting agenda that day. Susan's manager discussed it with great enthusiasm, explaining how only high performers would be allowed to participate in this work option. She explained the policies and objectives for the telecommuters as well as the folks left behind. She firmly outlined how communication paths would be established to ensure telecommuters' voices would be heard. Lastly, she described a formal telecommuting kick-off event that would include balloons and pastries.

How do you think Susan and her in-office co-workers felt? How do you think the telecommuters felt? Many times, in our fervor for telecommuting, managers mistakenly polarize their teams and appear to coddle or favor telecommuters. The telecommuters and the non-telecommuters. The high performers and the not so high performing. The focused-on and the not focused-on. The folks at the forefront. The folks left behind.

Our employees listen to us. To the words we use. To the messages we send. Learn more.