TakingITGlobal

E M B R A C I N G V I R T U A L L E A R N I N G 9 SUPPORTING YOUR TEAM VIRTUALLY A virtual work environment will look different than an in-person office setting. In order to function successfully as a team, ensure that you have created, implemented and made accessible all the necessary structures, tools and resources for your team to work together. Here are some areas to consider when setting up your virtual work environment: Team Structure: A virtual team setting can look very different than an in-person team setting. It is important that all team members know who in the team they can turn to to: ask for support, collaborate with, and/ or share any concerns regarding the program, participants, other team members, etc. To foster an understanding of the team dynamics and create a supportive environment, host regular staff meetings and virtual get togethers for all team members to connect with one another. Technical Training: Providing a technical training session is very important to ensure all team members understand the functionality and purpose of all the tools being utilized to carry out the program. Setting Expectations: Virtual work environment generally do not have traditional work structures such as: work hours, physical work space, etc. For this reason, it is important that all team members understand the expectations that are associated with their role in order to succeed in all their tasks. Managing Virtual Expectations: Many virtual tools set the expectations for individuals to be always accessible to provide instant answers. Due to this, it is important that all team members feel supported in setting virtual boundaries such as regular working hours for both team members and participants. The lack of virtual boundaries can result in virtual fatigue.

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