12 Greatest Challenges Virtual Teams Are Facing Now

Posted on by

There are a lot of challenges that virtual team members face while performing their duties. These challenges vary across different teams at different stages of growth. Several studies have found that virtual teams are healthier, more productive, and enjoy positive work-life balance. 

Virtual team members have been found to take fewer days off and stick for a long time with a company. Working remotely sounds like the revolution that all of us need. However, like anything else, working remotely has several challenges that need to be overcome. 

In this article, we are going to discuss the twelve greatest challenges that virtual teams are facing now and how they can deal with them. Let’s get started!

#1. Managing Projects

The biggest challenge that most virtual teams face is managing projects. This is because team members are spread out across different locations. Managers should ensure that every team member is tackling his or her tasks and all the deadlines are met. With no physical presence, it can be difficult to track individual tasks, especially for huge projects.

As a manager, you can solve this problem by assigning tasks appropriately and keeping track of progress regularly. You can also use apps to save time and energy. Some of the best project management resources include Trello and Monday.com.

#2. Communication

Communication within a virtual team is essential especially because there is no face to face interaction. The manager has to be up to date with all the projects and strategies that the team is deploying. Virtual team members need to communicate with each other to generate great ideas and achieve their targets. 

Managers can improve communication by opening multiple lines of communication and being available for their teams. Instead of messaging or calling team members separately, consider using video chatting apps and conferences to make the interaction lively. Also, encouraging your team to talk about other things apart from work will help.

#3. Tracking productivity

According to Best assignment help, Improving the productivity of virtual teams is one of the hardest things that most managers face. For the team to hit big goals, you have to ensure that all the small ones are being completed successfully in a timely fashion. There are a lot of resources that you can use to track the productivity of your team.

See also  How To Recruit The Best Customer Service Employees

#4. Working from different time zones and locations

One of the best things about working remotely is that it gives business managers the ability to hire talent from any corner of the planet.

The disadvantage of this is team members will be working in different time zones. And this can affect other aspects of your business such as productivity, communication, and performance. Knowing your team’s schedule is critical.

#5. Language and cultural differences

When you have a virtual team working from different areas, you are likely going to have different languages and cultures. If there is nothing that connects your team members, they will get confused and mess up your projects.

By understanding the cultural differences of your team, you’ll easily adjust and manage your team effectively.

#6. Building trust

Trust issues are going to arise within your team from time to time. This is because most team members have never met with each other in person.

Encouraging your team members to communicate with each other regularly and promoting transparency at all levels will help in building trust. You should also avoid micromanaging your team if you want to build trust.

#7. Distractions

Distractions are the biggest killers of productivity. This is especially true for virtual teams because their minds have been conditioned to associate home with fun and pleasure.

According to the reviews of the assignment writing help from Thesis writing service, to boost your productivity, you need to eliminate distractions before you start working. This means shutting off the television, putting your phone away, turning off notifications on your computer, and so forth.

#8. Staying motivated

Staying motivated while working remotely is one of the greatest challenges that people face. Without the presence of supervisors and colleagues, it’s easy to postpone high priority tasks.

Plus, working alone can be stressful. You can help your team stay motivated by recognizing and rewarding them, communicating with them regularly, and setting realistic deadlines.

See also  How To Handle Service Failure

#9. Choosing the best technologies

This is a challenge that most virtual teams face regularly. Every day, newer technologies are emerging to improve communication, boost productivity and performance.

Teams that fail to keep up are often left behind. Managers need to look at what their competitors are using and listen to industry analysts to identify the right tools for them.

#10. Hiring

The scramble for the best talent in the market will always be there. Every manager wants to hire and work with the best to boost productivity and improve performance.

Finding and hiring a remote worker takes time. Plus, there is no guarantee that they will stick with the company.

#11. Managing customer expectations

Customer expectations will always keep changing with the times. This makes it harder for virtual teams to keep up. Businesses have to adapt to the changes to provide their customers with an interactive experience.

#12. Training the team

Training virtual teams can be a major problem for businesses that are evolving and expanding rapidly. Managers need to choose the best training tools and ensure that their teams understand how to use them. They need to focus on the strengths, weaknesses, level of expertise, and commitment levels of team members.

Conclusion

The biggest challenges that virtual teams face are also opportunities for them to boost their productivity and performance. Thanks to the rapid technological advancements, virtual teams can communicate, work on different projects, and accelerate their growth.  

Tiffany Harper
Latest posts by Tiffany Harper (see all)