The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has created reasons to maintain social distancing. People are bound to stay at home and work online. Many things, like studies, business, office jobs are done via online these days more than ever before.
Under such circumstances, virtual team building has become a major aspect of supporting remote working. Building a team often makes a big task get done easily. In fact, it is often seen that a team that works behind the success of an initiative, instead of individuals. Team building and running require leadership skills. You have to focus on the challenges people face with the growing demand for virtual teams.
Let’s discuss the challenges of team building games here.
1. Communication Is the Key
If done right, remote work turns out to be less tedious but fruitful. Teams do their job virtually, sitting at home comfortably. However, there are challenges. When it comes to communication, people have different preferences. Some prefer official ways, like email, while some like to stay connected via worker’s groups. When things are virtual, you have to manage the connection among team members effectively.
Set a certain time when all team members will be online. Create a connecting structure that supports the collaboration. Make sure your teammates understand the expected level of communication. Welcome virtual meets when someone faces a problem. Solve it together as you do with a physical team. It takes good management skills to pull things together and pursue productivity.
2. Structure
A team without a proper structural base may find it difficult to get things done virtually. Do review the process regularly to maintain efficiency. Once in a while, conduct a workflow analysis that can help you to understand better how the following process works.
A smooth online workflow and a clearly defined standard are two very important matters in virtual team management. Luckily, the tools available online are helpful in easy collaboration across the world. Not all tools are useful for everyone, but having a central hub of information makes things easier.
3. Focus Productivity
Remote work gives comfort but it also brings difficulty in focusing. Unlike the office, the home environment is full of distractions. The distractions affect your productivity and performance. In addition to that, many employees may not feel like working in the truest sense as the office environment is missing so does the work drive.
Help your team adapt and transition to virtual work by defining goals and targets. Make them visualize what they have to do exactly. Motivation in various forms would do good. Team leaders can use calendars, timers, and project management tools to provide a clear picture of what the team aims for as a whole.
4. Psychological Aspect
Lack of socialization and long term home boundness affects mental health negatively. The impact shows in individuals and in a whole team spirit also. Mental health, feelings, moods, etc., are closely linked to performance and productivity. No face-to-face contact and social distancing cause harm to one’s efficiency.
It is more difficult for those who are not previously accustomed to a virtual working setup. Be a supportive leader and be more helpful than ever before. Grant them paid leaves in emergencies as the worldwide pandemic is a threat to both mental and physical health. More so, let them feel that the team is together in ups and downs.
Conclusion
These are some of the challenges that teams face while working virtually. There are some online tools to make virtual team building easier. The Jambar team building assistance system could be a great start.
We hope this piece of article could serve you with some information on the topic of meeting challenges of virtual team building head on. This might help you to overcome the challenges.
