The twenty-first century has seen a rise in the use of virtual teams and remote work. This has been spurred by rapid increases in technology and has piqued the interest of management researchers. The COVID-19 Pandemic brought with it a series of problems for organizations, with one of the most prominent questions being how we continue to operate within the confines of a lockdown. The answer was an abrupt and unprecedented increase in remote work as many employees moved from office to home. This brought attention to many previously studied challenges such as the disruption of communication norms, complication of employee engagement and management of employee stress. With communication practices being the main force in creating, generating, and sustaining organizations, the importance of evolving with these challenges has never been so crucial (Schoeneborn Kuhn, & Kärreman 2019). With the inherent importance an organization places in communication processes, the current disruptions have required leaders and managers to respond with new strategies and solutions.

Remote work is not a new concept, but few organizations had ever required nearly all fields of work to be completed from isolated spaces. Before the start of the pandemic, only about 15% of U.S. employees were found to be working from home at least some of the time (Sull, Sull, & Bersin 2020). However, at the start of the pandemic, it was recorded that remote work was being performed by half of U.S. employees. With this stark contrast, problems were bound to ensue and required companies and businesses around the world to begin constituting new forms of work production.

A portion of the organizational problems stemming from this rapid implementation of remote work and virtual teams originates in communication. Factors such as increased social distance, use of information and communication technologies, and the prevalence of asynchronous communication mean virtual teams cannot necessarily rely as much on social cues and mechanisms, and even using video-based web conferencing platforms cannot completely address these deficiencies. This reduces access to rich interaction among members causing increased opportunity for misunderstandings and team conflict (Pazos, 2012). This is in large part due to employees no longer working in strictly work-dedicated environments. While distractions from home life, a lack of office resources, and not having a dedicated workspace are a main cause of stress and reduced engagement for employees suddenly finding themselves working from home (Chanana & Sangeeta, 2020), communication is also affected. Certain communication standards are expected in a workplace, so without the physical location sometimes those standards become less obvious and create tension between employees with differing opinions. These unique communication challenges lead to lower levels of group cohesion, diminished employee engagement, and a reduction in cooperation among team members that may result in lower levels of team member engagement and alignment with team goals and objectives. Hoch et al., 2014 (as cited in Newman, Ford & Marshall, 2020). In addition, keeping everyone on the same page and up to date is increasingly difficult when employees and teams don’t see each other in person, which contributes to reduced engagement and performance.

Reduced employee engagement and stress from poor (or even a lack of) communication, in addition to other factors, can hurt employee performance. These challenges were addressed by organizations across the globe as they worked to implement innovative solutions and best practices. While it’s difficult to address the issue of location since it differs for so many employees, improving communication can help greatly with employee engagement and reducing stress and conflict. Having a team communicate to regularly set attainable goals increases perceived team performance and satisfaction. A team needs to set team processes, operating principles, responsibilities, and metrics in a clear and effective manner. In doing so a team may feel more closely connected and will function more efficiently. Many of the problems of working asynchronously stem from conflict arising from a breakdown in communication, which creates friction between members who are potentially unclear on instructions or have resentment towards each other for no particularly good reason (Pazos, 2012). Thus, setting these processes and guidelines, which can be easily laid out in a team contract or charter, can help clearly define standards and goals, keeping everyone on the same page and helping to reduce conflict. Frequent, consistent, and good-quality communication is also a great way to keep employees engaged. For example, many organizations have instituted daily or weekly updates from the CEO and made them accessible to all employees (Sull, Sull & Bersin, 2020). This helps keep employees feel connected and involved in their organization despite the distance and supports creating a work-oriented mindset in a home environment.

Good communication can also serve to reduce tension and conflict between employees and within teams. Employees appreciate leaders who explain their decisions and clarify the reasoning behind those choices. Newman expresses how this will allow employees to trust leaders with effective communication and will improve team performance (Newman, Ford & Marshall, 2020). In tandem with improved team performance, trusted managers and leaders will have an easier time mediating and resolving conflict within their teams, further reducing stress and improving engagement.

As COVID-19 continues to affect people around the world, remote work and virtual teams remain an important part of a lot of people’s lives. Even as some things begin to return to normal their increased use persists, providing a view of what work-life may look like after the pandemic. Remote work allows for increased flexibility in scheduling as well as access to a broad variety of skillsets due to the lack of location constraints. Additionally, this can be cost-effective as a result of the reduced need for office space and associated financial impacts (Newman, Ford and Marshall, 2020). But with these advantages, a series of problems associated with communication and employee engagement arise. Communication is a large area of concern as employees shift to online teams, as virtual communication is quite different from face-to-face. Even using video-based web conferencing platforms such as Zoom, non-verbal social cues and body language are much harder to pick up and understand. By missing out on a lot of the aspects of communication that employees are used to in-person, communication has the potential to falter and cause further issues such as reduced group cohesion, cooperation, and engagement. These issues have been and are continuing to be addressed by organizations adapting to increased virtual teamwork across the globe. Frequent, thorough, and consistent communication, as well as team leaders prioritizing transparency and good relationships with their teams can help combat some of the communication and engagement issues presented by virtual teams. As virtual teams become more and more commonplace, managers can gain some great advantages if they take steps to overcome these new challenges.

Written with equal contributions by:  Julia Olmstead, Jalen Watts, Alex Shaw, Michael Whittley, and John McFarland

References

Chanana, N., & Sangeeta. (2020). Employee engagement practices during COVID‐19

lockdown. Journal of Public Affairs, pp. 1–10.

Newman, S. A., Ford, R. C., & Marshall, G. W. (2020). Virtual team leader communication:

Employee perception and organizational reality. International Journal of Business Communication, 57(4), 452-473.

Pazos, P. (2012), “Conflict management and effectiveness in virtual teams”, Team Performance

Management, Vol. 18 No. 7/8, pp. 401-417.

Schoeneborn, D., Kuhn, T. R., & Kärreman, D. (2019). The communicative constitution

of organization, organizing, and organizationality. Organization Studies, 40(4), 475496.

Sull, D., Sull, C., & Bersin, J. (2020). Five ways leaders can support remote work. MIT

Sloan Management Review, 61(4), 1-10.