One of the biggest issues in all teams—virtual and not—is communication. While this issue is prevalent in all teams, it can seem that the problem is exacerbated in virtual teams.
1. There are few (or no) existing opportunities for informal connections, which can be a good space for people to establish rapport and confirm understanding of situations or expectations.
2. A lot of virtual communication takes place with email or chat—which means messages are often misinterpreted. Not everyone is great at conveying or reading accurate tone when writing.
3. If your work day does not include collaboration, you might be working on your own for most of the day. You might ride the momentum of your work bubble, and not stop to clarify or confirm understanding of expectations.
No matter the reason for your team's challenges, there are some concrete steps that you can take to improve how your team...
Guest post by Natasha Bowman JD, SPHR, aka the Workplace Doctor, founder and CEO of Performance Renew and the author of You Can't Do That at Work: 100 Legal Mistakes Managers Make in the Workplace.
Employing a remote workforce can bring enormous benefits to an organization, like expanding attracting top talent and saving on overhead expenses that usually accompany a location-dependent workforce. But employing remote workers also comes with its own set of legal implications that remote leaders need to consider. Each of these legal issues could be a potential liability for your company.
Make sure that you work through the proper channels to ensure that each issue is properly and adequately addressed in your:
With a remote workforce, all communication takes place in a...
Updated May 2020.
How do you manage remote teams? Whether your whole team is fully distributed, or you only have one employee who works from home, leaders need to have the skills to manage and motivate from a distance. For the most part, there are similarities between managing remote teams and general management best practices. However, some common remote management mistakes can severely impact the productivity and overall happiness of your team.
In order to lead a healthy and productive remote team, infrastructure, mindset, and education all need to be aligned throughout the team and organization.
From a mindset perspective, the foundation of any remote team is trust. If you don’t trust your team to do their job and you rely on micromanaging techniques, a remote setup will not work for you, nor for your employees. Along with this, it’s important to focus specifically on metrics related to...
Want to work from home but you’re not sure what you can do? You can leverage any of the five skills listed below to find a remote job that you love. Many job seekers spend their time searching by job title — but job titles can vary greatly from company to company and can be hard to understand. Instead, focus on the responsibilities listed in the job description. Look for job descriptions that list skills that you already have.
Each skill listed includes example jobs and companies, plus keywords to use when using job search sites, and alignment with skills listed in our Remote Work Competency Model.
Do you speak more than one language? You can get a remote job as a translator, interpreter, transcriber, or customer service representative. Additionally, you can set yourself apart from other candidates for other types of jobs if you highlight your language skills.
If a job description does not directly say that...
You've applied to remote jobs but you still haven't gotten any remote job offers. What gives?
Chances are it's because of one of these reasons. Some of these reasons indicate areas you can improve. Others you can't do anything about. Focus on the areas that you can actually work on to improve your chances for the next position.
If you've never had any experience working remotely, this can work against you. Working remotely requires you to be self-motivated and have excellent time management skills. Employers want to know that you will do the work how and when you need to.
Tip: If you've never worked remotely before, then make sure to highlight past experiences that demonstrate the above skills.
The hiring committee just didn't see you as...
Happy Friday!
Before you dance away from your work for the weekend, take some time to reflect on what you accomplished.
Building the habit of reflecting on the week allows you to acknowledge your victories and the things you have learned. It will also prepare you to start next week off on the right foot, which in turn gives you space to truly disconnect and recharge over the week.
Here are some questions to guide your reflection:
Take a look back at the concrete deliverables or tasks you finished this week. Congratulate yourself. Sometimes looking back on the things you've done is much more inspiring than looking at the things you still have to accomplish.
Did you have any meaningful or important conversations with your team members, coworkers or clients? What did you learn from those conversations? How can that information help you in the future?
Were...
When you’re looking for a remote career, there are several options: work for yourself, a large business, or a startup. Large companies like Amazon, Dell, or Humana will have multiple job openings at any given time, which can expand your opportunities. But there are plenty of startups hiring remote workers, as well. Working at a startup can be fun and exciting and can be a pivotal point in developing your career. Below are four startups that are currently hiring in multiple remote positions.
Toptal is a talent network focused on the software engineering, design, and finance industries. They have under 1000 employees and there are many remote positions available across many disciplines and levels.
Head over to their profile on Glassdoor and make sure to check out the reviews — here’s a highlight:
Having been in the workplace for over 20 years this is a...
Freelancing is a great way to try out working from home if you have never had a full-time remote job before.If you are currently working on location at an organization and would like to explore your work at home options, freelancing can be an excellent way to test the waters. You can start with just one small job and work your way up.
You've likely heard of this option before but may not know many details about this remote career path.Below are some fast facts about freelancing — each fact could be considered a pro or a con, depending on what you value.
As a freelancer you work as an independent contractor, not an employee.
Since you're not an employee at one organization, you can complete work for multiple clients.
One of the criteria that the IRS uses to determine if you are an independent contractor is if you are required to work according to...
When you work in an office, opportunities to connect with coworkers happen naturally. They can happen on your way into the office, when you're using the office kitchen, or when you stop by a coworker's space to ask a question. When you work on a remote team, it can seem that you don't have those same types of opportunities. However, you can build a remote work culture — it just takes more intentional planning than you would need if the whole team worked in the same physical space.
The key to creating a culture in which your team feels connected is to establish company-wide expectations and processes that support those connections. When your team understands the importance of connecting, both personally and professionally, they are more likely to initiate those connections on their own.
Communication, as always, is king. Have clear expectations of the channels, content, frequency of company communication. Trust only happens when...
Networking is important, even if you work remotely. Not only does it expose you to professional opportunities, it also helps you establish and cultivate important relationships that can help you navigate your career. But networking can be tough — even more so if you work from home because you're not in the habit of constant interaction. Here are some networking tips on how you can cultivate an active and supportive professional network if you work from home.
Basically, there are three networking channels you have when working remotely:
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