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The Virtual Workplace

Consider the new paradigm of work anytime, anywhere, in real space or in cyberspace. For many employers the virtual workplace, in which employees operate remotely from each other and from managers, is a reality now. All indications are that it will become even more prevalent in the future. In and of itself, this represents a dramatic change in how we work, and it presents new challenges for our profession. The challenges stem from the physical separation of workers and managers wrought by such information-age arrangements as telecommuting and virtual teams. "How can I manage them if I can't see them?" is a question that many managers ask (Thompson, 1995).
Where we work, when we work, and how we communicate is being revolutionized, as a seamless web of electronic communications media such as: e-mail, voice mail, cellular telephones, laptops, hand-held organizers, video conferencing, and interactive pagers. All of these make teamwork and mobility a reality. Work is becoming seamless as it moves between home, office, and phone. Virtual workplaces are not appropriate for all jobs. Jobs in sales, marketing, and consulting seem to be suited best, although even in these jobs, virtual work arrangements are not recommended for new employees or those who are new to a position (http://www.globalchange.com/vmanagement.htm). The key is to work with employees well ahead of planned transitions. Several companies have written guidelines, training, and networks of peers to facilitate the transition. For example, guidelines for virtual workplaces address topics such as who can participate, family and household issues, remote office setup, and administrative processes (Thompson, 1995).

Assuming that virtual work arrangements are appropriate, and that at least some employees are willing to try them, how should a manager proceed? Two types of virtual work arrangements that are becoming more popular are virtual teams and telecommuting. In a virtual team, members' primary interaction is through some combination of electronic communication systems. Members may never meet in the traditional sense. Such an arrangement provides several advantages (http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html). It saves time, travel expenses, and eliminates lack of access to experts. Teams can be organized whether or not members are in reasonable proximity to each other. Firms can use outside consultants without incurring expenses for travel, lodging, and downtime. Virtual teams allow firms to expand their potential labor markets, enabling them to hire and retain the best people regardless of their physical location (Thompson, 1995). Employees can accommodate both personal and professional lives. Dynamic team membership allows people to move from one project to another. Employees can be assigned to multiple, concurrent teams. Team communications and work reports are available online to facilitate swift responses to the demands of a global market (http://www.globalchange.com/vmanagement.htm).

Another form of virtual work arrangement is telecommuting. Telecommuting is work carried out in a location that is remote from central offices or production facilities, where the worker has no personal contact with coworkers, but is able to communicate with them using electronic means. Telecommuting arrangements are only successful when they offer advantages to both the employer and the employee (http://www.globalchange.com/vmanagement.htm). While the advantages of working from a home/virtual office may seem obvious there are probably even more benefits than employees and companies realize. Here are a few examples of telecommuting: reduced travel time and costs, productive work environment, flexible work schedule, privacy, a more relaxing work environment, and reassignments do not always mean relocation. From the employer's perspective, the company saves on office space, custodial services, parking facilities and other support required for on-premises workers. The companies have more opportunities to hire part-time or contract workers, and a larger pool of employee applicants because location is not as important. These savings offset the costs of providing telecommunications and computer resources at home (http://www.langhoff.com/faqs.html).

However, employers who offer a virtual workplace or telecommuting options face disadvantages as well. A lack of clear understanding about what the off-site employee is, or should be, doing sometimes exists. Employers also sometimes find they have to deal with the potential for inadequate task management on the part of telecommuters, which could affect project deadlines and outcomes. Some are also concerned that their remote employees are not disciplined enough to devote adequate time to the job (Thompson, 1995). The employee also may face some disadvantages of a virtual workplace or telecommuting such as: lack of face-to-face communication that could increase the chance of miscommunications or misunderstandings, technical difficulties hindering communications or work progress, feelings of separation or disassociation among employees, less solidarity among workers meaning possibilities for less cohesive work teams, problems separating an employees free time from their work time because their work is always there, less convenient to run errands at lunch time, feelings of isolation if you are always home alone, and lack of support ; both administrative and managerial (http://www.telework-connection.com/what-is.htm).

With the use of telecommuting increasing rapidly, studies have shown various effects on the workplace. Organizations and individuals are applying virtual offices/telecommuting in new areas, discovering its numerous advantages and pitfalls and finding solutions to the myriad of problems that can customarily arise (http://www.telework-connection.com/what-is.htm). Telecommuters have been praised as being more productive than their average inter-office counterparts. As a result, organizations employing telecommuters and utilizing virtual offices have seen notable increases in overall productivity. Unfortunately, even with the many advantages, the distance inherent in telecommuting and virtual offices can cause communication gaps as well as stress within any organization. In addition, many traditional managers do not feel comfortable supervising telecommuters because they cannot monitor their work as closely as their traditional inter-office coworkers. Finally, the changes in power and identity within organizations often cause dissonance for both managers and telecommuters. This dissonance can overshadow the many benefits and make telecommuting and virtual offices a poor work option (Thompson, 1995).

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