The needs of virtual teams vary according to their online context and the rapid changes this medium experiences. Find out how to best pay attention to the way your team adapts to these changes, and employ online human resources strategies to support this process.

Why does identifying the needs of the virtual team matter?

Sometimes, it can seem like the virtual team is encountering one problem after another. This might be a sign that the company's work approach or dynamic isn't addressing the real needs of the team and its projects. If your company is running into this type of issue, online human resources are the way to go.

Here are some key aspects of this approach:

• Maintaining consistency - between the objectives, the team, the project and the company.
• Context and updating - putting the goals and objectives in the context of the current realities of the team and its projects.
• Detecting key points - detecting the critical and most relevant points of the team’s collaboration makes it easier to create strategies that answer its needs.
• Following up - tracking the team is essential to getting a read on its needs and providing useful feedback on its work.

What needs do virtual teams have?

Emotional connection

Without physical interaction, members of the virtual team are bound to feel distanced from each other. Luckily, you can reduce this distance by scheduling regular team activities to boost morale and in-team connections, as well as by making sure all of the team members are aligned with the company’s mission.

Humanized technology

Remote work doesn’t always allow for the kind of informal encounters that are often crucial to strengthening the team's synergy. Using “warm” technology like videoconferencing and chats is a good way to alleviate this formality, making it a better fit for virtual team communication than the “cold” approach of emails.

Language & understanding

When you’re running a multicultural team, language is an important consideration. Different members of your virtual team might have a different level of proficiency, which could lead to some communication pitfalls. To avoid such issues, provide language training to those who need it, and summarize meetings in writing to make sure everybody is on the same page.

Knowledge-sharing

The software tools we use every day are advancing rapidly, and sometimes the knowledge we have about them can become outdated. To make sure your team stays on course, provide training for all the collaboration tools you use, and take care to stay on top of any updates those tools might have. Only show the best practices to your virtual team and provide short videos for the members, so they can refresh their memory when in doubt.

Member cohesion

Without a shared physical space, members of a virtual team might feel scattered and disconnected from each other. The best way to minimize this effect is by organizing team activities that will help bring the team together. If you need some advice on organizing them, take our 2 hour course and learn about the best ways to approach it!

Answering the needs of your virtual team

Humanizing the virtual medium

The best way to humanize the virtual is by spreading enthusiasm and respect into remote employee relations within the virtual workplace. If you’d like to learn about different strategies for and tools for accomplishing this, we can help. Online human resources are a novelty for a lot of professionals, and our mission is to demystify them and help you learn different ways of conveying your knowledge to your virtual team. Schedule a free consultation with us to find out more.

Hearing the team's voice

The answers and solutions to the difficulties and needs of your virtual team will always lie within the team itself, since they are the ones who work in the virtual environment day in and day out. It’s important to actively listen to their feedback and participate in resolving the issues they face.

Developing the members’ potential

Your virtual team members were most likely selected both based on their experience and the potential they hold for further successes. Build the talent and skills of your whole team by uniting their efforts, and empowering the potential they have.

Virtual gatherings

Team cohesion is one of the most important aspects of remote work. Through group activities and meetings, you can break down the icy barriers of technology, while strengthening relations, communication and synergy among the members of your team.

Training

Your virtual team will highly benefit from continuous training as it faces the constant changes that characterize the online world. If your team consists of Millenials, make sure that Training and Development are a priority in your company to retain the talent and improve your employees’ work satisfaction.

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