Managing Workflow

Before, we mentioned FOUR (4) common issues experienced in virtual teams. On this page we’re going to focus on numbers two (2) and three (3).

Those are: 

• Delegation Issues
  Communication failures also confuse staff responsibilities. Leaders must delegate assignments, being careful to avoid misinterpretation and inference. Confusion over who’s doing what and when risks upsetting team unity. Leaders also must avoid the temptation to micromanage their virtual teams, knowing when to take a hands-off approach and trust their employees. They must balance the need to set clear expectations and trust that they’ll be met.
• Work Ethic Differences
  Evidence exists that some people work harder in office environments where they’re surrounded by others, a phenomenon known as “social facilitation,” according to an article in the journal SN Applied Sciences. Others may ignore requests or delay responses in a virtual setting. If employees perceive that coworkers aren’t putting in as much effort as them, it can cause distrust, disrupting the team and derailing projects. Team leaders must remain vigilant in assessing team members’ work and providing ongoing feedback to address problems.

Luckily, these two problems are solved using the same skill: Workflow Management.

While this may seem obvious, “of course I’m going to manage and monitor the work of my team”, it’s not as easy in a virtual environment. You’re not there to check in, and some people prefer to work outside four (4) ten (10) hour days, instead of the normal five (5) eight (8) hour days. In some circumstances, this is perfectly acceptable. In others however, this can lead to some members of team feeling like other people aren’t pulling their weight. 

This is where I could tell you to schedule meetings all the time to check in, as well as expecting rigorous reports of progress (which are both things that can work great for different teams and their leaders), instead I am going to recommend to you virtual team management software. 

There are tons and tons of programs out there doing the same thing, so just pick one that meets your needs and budget and try it out. I always like to recommend Slack, as it has been around for a bit and does the job well. Regardless of what program you’re looking into using, you’ll be looking for a few features. 

1. In software messaging – Emails are great but it’s cool to have an instant messenger that’s just used for work, especially since virtual only teams need a quicker method to ask quick questions.
2. Meeting Software – It’s awesome if they have their own, but all you need is for the software to connect to another virtual meeting software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
3. A calendar – Simple, efficient, and essential.  a Calendar that everyone on your team can access at any time, in the same location, that shows everyone the same information.
4. Bonus – Some softwares (like slack!) allow you to delegate projects through their software. This can be helpful as far as knowing what everyone is doing, and how far they are along in the process.

You can download Slack here