To find a remote work history, you need to go back to the beginning of civilization. Fortunately, the HR report is having an easy time of it. But with regard to remote or virtual teams, they began to show up soon after the widespread sales of PCs and the advent of the Internet. As profitable as the concept is, virtual teams have only found widespread acceptance in the 2010s. Firms are finally opening up the benefits of virtual teams and the impact of remote work on employee satisfaction.

However, in addition to the benefits, challenges have also entered the companies. Each company or team is unique and there are some common virtual team challenges that are unique to their challenges. Below are eight common virtual team challenges and quick fixes from experts.

Communication styles and effectiveness
Communication is the basis of any success. Whether the team is virtual or in the office, communication is essential to uphold its function. In the office, there are different types of communication at play. Colleagues frequently share updates orally, provide opinions and derive information from body language. But none of this is possible with virtual teams so communication methods become more important.

A common challenge that virtual teams face is that everyone has a different style of communication. Some people can be thorough and detailed, others communicate in a crisp manner. Some prefer calls, while others prefer emails. In any case, when many people use different channels, it can be difficult to detect communication and promote accountability.

Another common virtual team challenge is that some people are not effective at communicating their needs. So they may not give you enough information to work in a virtual team. This may lead to incorrect definitions or updates.

What can you do?
When your team members have different communication styles and methods, the easiest way to solve it is to establish a communication protocol. Ensure that all official communication is carried out on one or more of the two channels and these channels must record all communications for future reference. These channels may be Slack, Emails or Project Management Tools. But establishing an official channel can help eliminate ambiguity.

In the case of inadequate communication skills from your teammates, it is easy to blame or approach the conflict. But it is important to remember that it is not productive or helpful to do so. The easiest way to meet the challenge of this virtual team is to devise a protocol for communication. When to send updates, to whom, at what intervals, and in what format? Answering these questions gives you transparency to your process and directs everyone to follow suit.

Read more: https://humanresources.report/blogs/8-common-challenges-faced-by-virtual-teams-and-how-to-overcome-them/8737?utm_source=Human%20Resources%20Report&utm_medium=Neethu