I have attended video meetings while in the basement of Grand Central, on a train, walking down the street, in a car, and in a coffee shop. We live in a world where we can be at work without actually being there, and it’s awesome. Sometimes, members of your team are only “virtual” because they live across the world or the country. Other times, you travel a lot for your job. If you’re like me, you like to work from your couch. No matter the reason, being part of a virtual team is likely to happen to you at one point or another. But it can go really, really wrong if you don’t have the right rules in place.
Pros of a Virtual Team
- Flexible hours
- Work-life balance
- Travel
- Being able to do dishes in between meetings
- Wearing pajamas all day
- Playing whatever music you want
- Hiring people that don’t live near the main office
Cons of a Virtual Team
- Lack of in-person bonding
- Lack of accountability
- Lack of communication
- Miscommunication
- Too much alone time
- Lack of coherent goals
The good news is, the pros are awesome, and the cons can be remedied pretty easily. Where does your team stand in terms of your virtual members? Take this quiz.
Create your own user feedback survey
What was your score? You probably noticed some themes in the checklist items. Take a look at the ones you didn’t check off and see where you can improve. Here are some tips to get you started.
- Set in place regular mandatory meeting times.
- Set in place consistent agendas for your meetings.
- Introduce ways to bond with each other, even if you’re not in the same room.
Check out these tips in more detail here.
For even more great tips, check out this article from Justworks, and this one from Hubspot.
Let us know ways your team engages its virtual members in the comments.
