In recent years, the landscape of the workforce has been rapidly changing, with a significant surge in remote work opportunities. By 2025, an estimated 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely, reflecting a substantial shift towards virtual teams. While there are many benefits of remote work, such as flexibility and access to a global talent pool, it also poses unique challenges for both employees and managers alike. Discover the common hurdles faced by virtual teams, actionable solutions to overcome them, and statistical evidence that shows these strategies work.
Virtual teams face challenges that stem from a lack of physical proximity and face-to-face interaction. Consequently, managers must learn how to best support global teams and foster a healthy and effective virtual work environment.
Challenge: A lack of face-to-face interaction can lead to misunderstandings, and context can get lost when communication is primarily over email and other digital messaging.
Solution: Consider having regular video meetings to enhance face-to-face collaboration and establish clear communication channels for team members.
Evidence: Most of the meaning imparted when we communicate comes from non-verbal cues. (source)
Challenge: When team members have different cultural backgrounds, misunderstandings can happen, and this can cause friction when team members don’t have the skills to bridge differences with one another. Additionally, managing people across different cultures is nuanced, as each person has their own communication style, cultural norms, and conflict resolution style.
Solution: It’s important to prioritize cultural competence across your organization and foster cultural agility through ongoing training and team-building activities. Tools like the GlobeSmart® Profile are perfect for helping global team members gain insight into different collaboration styles and how to best work with their team members.
Evidence: Research shows that 82% of employees say it’s important that they’re seen as a person, not just an employee, at their organization, yet only 45% of employees believe their organization actually sees them this way. (source)
Challenge: Remote teams have a harder time replicating spontaneous collaboration and idea-sharing that happens in a physical office environment.
Solution: Support your virtual teams with collaboration tools for real-time document sharing and project management. Additionally, virtual team-building activities can create team synergy and encourage collaboration.
Evidence: Technology support was rated as a top priority for working from home successfully by 77% of employees. (source)
Challenge: With remote teams, managers have limited visibility into the daily workload of team members, which can lead to concerns about maintaining accountability and tracking team progress.
Solution: While utilizing project management tools can help track team members’ progress, managers of virtual teams should base their measurement of productivity on results rather than becoming too involved in team members’ daily activities.
Evidence: Of global workers polled, 61% believe their quality of work has improved in a virtual or hybrid setting. (source)
Challenge: It can be difficult to maintain team morale and the motivation of remote team members in a virtual environment.
Solution: Managers of virtual teams can implement regular check-ins or one-on-one meetings to support their employees. They can also boost team morale by recognizing team members’ achievements and hosting virtual social events.
Evidence: Of global workers polled, 73% said hybrid working has made them happier and more motivated in their role. (source)
Challenge: It can be hard for managers of virtual teams to properly onboard new team members, as well as maintain training and skill development for current team members.
Solution: Managers should be familiar with a structured onboarding process and facilitate virtual orientations when new members are added to the team. Equipping your whole workforce with ongoing access to cultural training and resources fosters a healthy and productive working environment for everyone.
Evidence: E-learning in the workplace increases an organization’s overall employee retention rate by 24%. (source)
To ensure the success of virtual teams, it’s imperative for managers to address these challenges proactively. By implementing the proposed solutions and fostering a culture of open communication and collaboration, teams can overcome the challenges of virtual teamwork and thrive in the modern global workplace.
—
The Aperian learning platform helps virtual teams succeed. Discover how Aperian can help your organization grow.
