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For varied reasons, your company might be contemplating whether to allow employees to telecommute or work remotely.
If that's the case, it would do well to heed the words of a management expert who believes organizations might be asking the wrong question when it comes to virtual working.
Telecommuting has become such a significant facet of corporate culture that debating its advantages and disadvantages may seem futile.
Instead, executives should focus their attention on whether their managers are equipped with the skills to effectively handle a growing breed of virtual workers, says Colleen Garton, a 20-year-veteran in project management.
"I don’t think a lot of companies realize there is a difference between managing people that are [onsite] and managing people who are virtual," said Garton, who has co-authored the book, Managing Without Walls, which provides tips and insights on how to successfully manage teleworkers.
According to Garton, communication – or the lack thereof – is one of the biggest issues in managing remote workers.
A manager may find it easier to get things done according to expectations with team members who are onsite all the time as physical presence facilitates effective interaction.
The situation may not be as easy if your team is offsite and working from a remote location, said Garton. "More than 80 per cent of communication between people is generally non-verbal – hand gestures, facial expressions. When you are managing virtually you are losing most of that non-verbal communication."
By telecommuting, an employee loses his "peripheral vision" of the organization, according to Garton. An employee working onsite can pick up bits and pieces of business information through conversations in the coffee room or bumping into co-workers in the hallway. A staff working remotely loses this advantage, she explained.
"Often, when problems start to arise, companies don’t realize that it’s because their managers aren’t trained to manage in that (virtual) environment and they think, ‘Oh, well maybe people working from home is not a good idea.’"
Garton said to be effective, the leader of a virtual team needs to make an extra effort to ensure communication among team members is of good quality. This includes asking the right questions and refining your listening skills, Garton explained. In addition, managers must be proactive in keeping the virtual team members involved and included in matters relating to the organization.
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