Dispersed Teams and Virtual Collaboration — Benefits of a Distributed Workforce
As the world takes a specific turn, more and more teams are being dispersed virtually.
The digital age is upon us, stronger than ever, as the entire world is slowly pushing to a virtual-only collaboration on a global scale. Current statistics suggest that the benefits of having a distributed workforce outweigh the risks.
The Technology
We have had the technology for years that allowed us to collaborate virtually and distribute a workforce capable of making a lot of progress without the need for a physical presence, however, since humans are social animals, we have found ways of enhancing our real-world connection and experience in customized offices and a generally amazing working atmosphere that pushes us to progress further on a daily basis.
However, since we are all keeping social distance, and need to stay protected during harder times, the switch to virtual has been made, and we are finally taking full advantage of all of the technology available to us.
Laptops, Desktops, Smartphones, and Webcams
Ever since you were young, chances are you had at least seen a laptop, and most of them, ever in their inception, tried to fit as many productivity tools in them as possible in order to make them portable workstations capable of doing anything a static computer could.
The Hardware
As such, a lot of them have a front-facing web camera capable of recording you or allowing you to stream yourself life through various applications, where your face can be seen, and through a microphone, your voice can also be heard.
As desktop computers do not come with this built-in, you need to buy a separate webcam in order to achieve a similar effect, however, it is extremely affordable to do so.
On another end of this technological spectrum, we have our very own smartphones that are in our pockets every day.
Chances are you’ve probably used Apple’s FaceTime or Google’s Duo in the past to have online conferencing with family members or colleagues when you were away, as it takes advantage of the front-facing cameras found in every single iPhone and Android device that was in production within the past decade.
It’s just as if the world was preparing for a shift in digital-only work for all this time, except the world, or more specifically, the people were not ready to experience all of the benefits this can provide yet.
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The Software
Keep in mind that none of this hardware matters, if you do not have the correct software to take advantage of it.
Evidence to back up this claim is the fact that applications which provide virtual conversations and chatting have been around for decades, and the reason not many people adopted them is the fact that, well, simply put it was not a necessity, and it was a bit complicated to understand to the average Joe.
Another reason why the software was so primitive is that it did not allow for the level of management, file and project submission, and a high level of security to warrant serious consideration by the corporate world.
However, that changed in recent years, as a lot of people started using a lot more reliable and tailor-made applications that specifically target this circle of people in order to fill out all of their needs.
The most fascinating part about all of this is the fact that employees are starting to realize that any meeting could have just been an email.
While the software known as Zoom has recently been in the spotlight, it has been there for a wrong reason, it is commonly now showcased in analysis conducted by it having a poor level of security, especially before it took the internet by storm.
But just in the way Discord took Skype and TeamSpeak crown as the most used virtual group chat program, the throne can always be overtaken.
Microsoft 365
This is where software such as Microsoft 365 steps into the ring.
As organizations push for a mobile future, employees need to find ways to set up home office spaces while also preparing to eventually return to the office in the long-term, be it months or years.
As such, having software capable of doing everything you have done in-house so far is essential to make this concept a reality.
As such, Microsoft 365 offers a few applications that are powerhouses when it comes to productivity.
With Microsoft 365, you have multiple packages that offer different things depending on your specific needs, however, let us assume that you want to fully distribute your workforce remotely and go from there.
You gain full access to Office Applications such as Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Access.
You also, if needed, get access to keys for Windows 10 Enterprise Edition, as well as possibly one of the most important pieces of software for managing your teams, Microsoft Teams.
While companies like Google also have their own unique solutions for remote work, as well as Apple, and possibly at this point as the market opportunity raised the need for this kind of software, many, many more, we are using Microsoft Teams as a prime example as it currently does things correctly. You can also try out other online marketing tools to increase your productivity.
Think of Microsoft Teams as your own hub for teamwork, as it brings together everything your employees might need in order to talk to each other as a team.
This includes things such as chat and threaded conversations, meetings and video conferencing, calling, content collaboration, and the ability to create and integrate apps and workflows that your business might currently rely on.
Possibly one of the best features for any team is the fact that it is fully integrated with each employee’s email address, Skype, OneDrive, and SharePoint application, and as such, all files can be transferred between team members securely and without the potential of any security breaches.
There are also multiple channels, where each individual employee can be placed in, that can allow teams from different sectors to communicate with each other without leaking any sensitive information, and through the integration of bots with different functionalities, you can achieve a lot with just this one piece of software.
Business Collaboration Software
You can also use business collaboration software which features a set of web-based tools that can help a team coordinate, manage, and track their efforts on a given project or task.
This includes things such as conferencing software and calendar sharing, and make it easier to keep a team working tightly together even when members are working remotely from any location in the world.
You gain benefits and features such as calendar integration, activity streams, remote file access, file versioning control, conferencing, and screen capture which all work and communicate flawlessly with each other.
For instance,
ProofHub
ProofHub is one such amazing option. An all-in-one project management and team collaboration software, ProofHub helps teams stay insanely productive. Whether you are working in-house or as a distributed team, this project management software can make your work life easier and more productive.
The Benefits of a Distributed Workforce
Having a distributed workforce, if done right, can lead to a lot of satisfaction and almost no loss in productivity.
A lot of people will need to adjust to the new lifestyle, however, while it does have its own downsides, it can also come with a lot of benefits.
Productivity
Having your team set their own work hours can increase their level of productivity.
Let’s face it, we have all had a day where we got in bed a little later than usual and ended up feeling drowsy the entire morning, which led to a lack of productivity.
By having an employee set his own work hours, he can work during the hours where he feels he is the most engaged in and the most comfortable in working.
This is especially the case with people who have children, and want to work late at night while they are sleeping to avoid any distractions and potential bottlenecks in their work.
Gain Talent from Anywhere
Another key benefit of having a remote team is the fact that they do not have to be physically next to each other in the office.
Now, this may have sounded extremely obvious at first, but the more you look at it, the more you will start to realize that you can basically hire someone from anywhere in the world.
While in the past, companies had to find the most talented people across the world capable on delivering the skill level required to complete their project, and then physically move them to another country in order to work in-house, which also involved moving that person’s family such as husband or wife and kids, as it all starts to get a little bit more complicated with each following step, now they simply need to hire them, have them sign an NDA and start to work remotely through virtual channels and meetings. The team at brain training startup Solitaired, for example, has hired an entirely remote team across 3 different continents finding affordable talent that met their exact needs.
Tools like Toggl Hire, which was designed by a remote team for remote teams, are leading this revolution and making remote hiring easier than ever.
This significantly increases productivity while also lowering the cost of hiring people from abroad.
Attract New Talent
While we are in this category, we need to discuss the fact that many younger people who are just graduating from college and are looking for work are used to the idea of working remotely from home.
A lot of this has to do with the fact that most of them have grown up virtually and on the internet, and as such have had time to experience everything it had to offer.
They have worked on group projects with students from other universities or done something as simple as play videogames with a team of people by using applications such as Discord or Skype, which has made these applications second nature to them.
This means that a young person looking for work can instantly adapt to a remote working environment and will see a company that works remotely as a more advanced option when compared to one that works in-house, however this is only efficient if the person is experienced, as a lot of junior developers or people in other industry relied on the in-house experience and work-flow to develop both work ethics and knowledge in the past.
Fewer Distractions
While employees are in a physical environment where there is a lot of movement, chatting, and other types of distractions that might indirectly make them lose their focus, and as a result remain less productive, working from home these people can set their own work environments specifically tailored towards their own strengths, and as a result, have almost no distractions.
As most collaborations occur over video, chat, and project management software, people can focus on work and schedule their meetings accordingly without needing to be physically bothered in the process.
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Improved Record Keeping
While in the real world, any discussion can be passed off as just banter, or be forgotten as a task of a higher importance level pops up during its discussion, every single chat-based conversation done on a chat environment such as Microsoft Teams or Slack or ProofHub can remain there potentially forever, and as such, can be returned to at a later date for further discussion.
You would basically have access to the records of what everyone in the office has talked about, done, and when every task or process was initially completed.
As such, you can instantly pull important bits of information in order to tackle problems, disagreements, or work opportunities that have occurred at a later date or point in time.
Having a distributed workforce can have its benefits and is nothing to be afraid of pursuing.
This is the next great step in the way companies function and will open up a lot of new opportunities for a lot of talented people around the world, as well as decrease the time CEOs and their HR department spends to find the right talent for the job, as they will no longer need to physically move a person to work in-house, as a very similar experience is now possible through remote
Author Bio: Georgi Todorov is a digital marketer, specializing in Outreach strategies, International SEO and Influencer Marketing. He recently started his own blog about digital marketing called DigitalNovas and joined GetVoIP to provide his marketing expertise.
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