Order Components Of Virtual Team Assignment

Order Components Of Virtual Team Assignment
1. Why do organizations launch distributed work programs in the first place?
2. What practices and tools do successful organizations rely on to manage remote staff effectively?
1 We tend to use those terms interchangeably, though there are certainly subtle distinctions among
them. However, our current interest and focus is on best practices in managing people who are in locations at some distance from their boss. In our judgment, what matters is the distance between manager and subordinate, not what label someone has put on the job category.
Best Practices for Managing a Distributed Workforce Page 2
© Copyright 2010 by The Work Design Collaborative, LLC. All rights reserved.
3. What critical advice do successful leaders of distributed teams have for organizations that are just getting started?
In the course of conducting this research we interviewed half a dozen “experts” (authors, academics, consultants, and leading practitioners) and spoke with even more actual managers and change agents who have designed and implemented distributed work programs. This analysis of corporate best practices is their story.
Order Components Of Virtual Team Assignment
Drawing on those conversations we have compiled a set of basic principles and guidelines that we believe goes much deeper than anything we’ve seen elsewhere. We have included specific quotes and organizational attributions wherever we could. However, in some instances we were asked to allow the interviewees to remain anonymous.
Why Do Organizations Launch Distributed Work Programs?
Almost all organizations today are already practicing some kind of distributed work management. In most cases, however, there is either no formal policy, or it’s being done ad hoc and in a highly inconsistent manner.
Typically, some employees in some departments are working out of the office once in a while because it’s more convenient for them, or an emergency at home has made it temporarily necessary, or they just needed a quiet place to get a special report completed.
We’ve come to call this kind of informal/implicit program “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” because it’s unofficial, is often not known about in other parts of the company, or is tolerated for certain individuals primarily because they’re highly competent and have threatened to leave the company if they can’t work flexibly.
However, these kinds of ad hoc efforts often get out of control. Either they grow too large without any thought to their consequences, or other employees get jealous and even resentful at being unable to take advantage of what they see as a highly desirable “perk.”
Thus, the organizations we’ve spoken with that have moved beyond DADT and ad hoc distributed work have usually done so for one or more of these reasons:
Liability Mitigation
Order Components Of Virtual Team Assignment
Informal programs and ad hoc arrangements leave companies open to legal liability for workmen’s compensation, and for potential violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employees who are denied the opportunity to work remotely might become resentful of the perceived inequity and file a claim under the provisions of the FLSA.
Best Practices for Managing a Distributed Workforce Page 3
© Copyright 2010 by The Work Design Collaborative, LLC. All rights reserved.
One human resource professional we interviewed pointed out that these liabilities may even extend to the selection and hiring process. Although we are not aware of any case law at this time (and we are not legal experts), it is not inconceivable that a disgruntled employee might file suit for not being allowed to participate in an alternative work program. Maintaining a transparent process and appropriate documentation is an important way to minimize the potential of expensive litigation.
Employee Attraction/Retention
Companies in urban areas with long, difficult commutes have found that offering part – time work from home can tip the scales in their favor, particularly in a competitive hiring environment.