By Erika Ryun

According to a study by Buffer.com, remote work can no longer be considered a trend. It is a fact of life. In fact, the study suggests that 99% of employees would choose the possibility to work from a remote location, at least some of the time if given the option.

People appreciate the many benefits of remote work such as a more flexible schedule, a less stressful work environment, and the possibility to focus on goals and not on time spent in the office. However, remote workers also face challenges such as the difficulty to unplug from work or tracing a clear line between personal and work life.

All these, and more must be taken into consideration by project managers when they face the challenge of leading a mixed team (remote and office workers). Furthermore, there is the problem of adjusting communication to this new work setting, where you have non-stop access to an employee’s inbox but need to know when it’s appropriate to send them a message.

As such, project managers must be able to understand and use the virtual distance types that show when managing a team of/with remote workers. This means implementing and developing new collaboration skills and adjusting to a new way of life and work.

Types of Virtual Distances in a Team of Remote Workers

Remote communication doesn’t allow you to assess the situation based on the usual cues, so it brings new challenges to the table. For instance, when you’re emailing with a co-worker, you don’t have the possibility to appreciate their emotional response to your proposals (and vice-versa).

As such, specialists found there are three kinds of distances in this type of communication:

• Physical– which is obviously referring to the location of the participants and their time (if they are on a different continent or in a different country).
• Operational– the way the team is managed, the skills that are obvious in each member, and even the tools used for remote communication.
• Affinity – refers to the trust between the speakers and the values they hold dear.

These three distances, if managed correctly, can be used as a competitive advantage. Because you no longer depend on everyone being present at a certain time and place, it’s easier to promote collaboration and discuss ideas whenever needed.

How to Use Virtual Distances to Improve your Team

Before achieving a high level of confidence and trust, the project manager with remote team members must find the best strategy to use to reduce the distances mentioned above. Here are a few tips that may be helpful along the way:

#1 Establish Clear Rules of Communication

Difficulties in communication are quite often in the workplace, but they become even more problematic when they happen in a remote team. For the project to move in the right direction, each member must be able to make themselves understood and understand others.

Since you don’t have the other person in front of you, it helps to establish clear rules such as:

• All emails from stakeholders must be answered within 2 hours from receipt;
• The entire team should work on a specific Google Drive folder;
• Messaging will happen via Slack

The list could go on, and it should be personalized based on the needs of your team.

#2 Corporate Culture is Important

Even though you work in your pajamas, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t respect the standard protocols for specific events.

For instance, if a team member wants to quit, he will have to go through all the necessary steps, starting with announcing it to their manager and writing a resignation letter. The same goes for someone who wants to propose a new deal on an on-going project.

Procedures are put in place for a reason, and they must be followed by everyone. This is the only way you can maintain a cohesive team.

#3 Appreciate the Power of Written Communication

New studies suggest that introverts communicate better in writing when there aren’t several other people staring back at them.

As such, the people who are usually shy and soft-spoken in face-to-face meetings may become bolder and more confident in their opinions. However, this may not happen if you dismiss written communication and don’t allow people the time to grow in this new setting.

#4 Video Communication is Important

To reduce affinity distance, you need to maintain visual contact with the members of the team. This form of communication enhances the emotional response and creates empathy, which leads to a more united team.

However, it’s best to make video calls with a small number of participants (three or four) when possible because it is easy to lose track of subtle cues when there are lots of tiny windows in front of your eyes.

Time to adjust

On many projects, remote workers are a common phenomenon, they could even be in different locations across the world. Allow the team some time to adjust. As the project manager, it is your job to come up with a strategy and listen to your team’s needs and complaints.

Once you do, you’ll be able to identify weak points in communication, and you’ll know which distances to adjust, to create the best possible team.

About the Author:

Erika is an independent copywriter and content manager. She is an avid reader and runner.