Approximately 37% of employees can work from home at least part-time while a smaller but significant percentage work remotely on a full-time basis. In addition to remote workers, many organizations are taking advantage of a virtual team structure that is available since the proliferation of broadband internet connections. While both remote workers and virtual teams can be valuable players in an organization’s structure, they are not the same thing and drawing the distinctions between the two terms is useful in developing either as a part of your organization.
What is a Remote Worker?
A remote worker is an employee that either used to work in the office who has since transitioned to working outside of the office or one who has been hired to work from home (or from a location other than your office). There are many benefits to hiring remote workers, including a deeper talent pool and fewer overhead costs when it comes to office space. Remote workers can fill many different roles, from virtual receptionists to higher level leadership positions.What is a Virtual Team?
A virtual team is a workgroup or committee that is formed of employees working at different locations. A virtual team may consist of remote workers, but it may not. Virtual teams can be quite useful for organizations that have many locations and want to keep the company overall focused on key strategic goals. Managers in different locations may have similar goals and similar management challenges to overcome. Creating a virtual team that communicates with conference calls and video conferencing can be quite useful in sharing ideas and building strategies that work across locations.The Challenges of Remote Work
While we have established that remote and virtual work has become an integral part of the modern workplace, challenges still exist. The top challenge for both remote workers and virtual teams is keeping lines of communication open. While the internet has certainly made it much easier to communicate across state lines and around the globe, there are still issues with in-house teams as well as customers being able to reach remote workers easily. The right phone system can solve a good deal of these issues. For example, a company can set up a VoIP system so that remote workers have the same phone as in-office employees. The phone will not only look the same, but it will function the same, with easy call transfers between remote and in-office workers as well as dialing by extension for customers.
For virtual teams, a VoIP system allows for easy video conferencing and calling. Automatic call recording can be put in place to record meetings for important summaries and executive reports while workers from any locations can be patched in to contribute. The right tools can make all the difference when it comes to taking advantage of the range of both remote and virtual work.
VoIP integrations are another valuable tool for improving workplace communication and keeping remote workers engaged. Learn more when you download our free guide below.
Topics: VoIP
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