What Does Work-Life Balance Mean for Virtual Teams?

As a leadership coach and keynote speaker, I interact with teams of all kinds — including many virtual teams. Telecommuting and remote collaboration technology have changed the way we work, and the benefits are striking. Companies can reduce overhead and provide their employees with more flexibility; employees, in turn, often love the freedom they have to get their work done in a home office environment.

Remote teams make many things easier, but some things a bit harder. Maintaining a unified company culture is one example. And providing work-life balance is another. After all, when your employees work from home, that means their leisure and their office space are ever-intermingled. How can you, as a manager or leader, help them maintain some sense of separation between the two?

Tips for Balancing Work and Life for Remote Employees

Let me offer a few quick, practical suggestions:

• Set a schedule and stick to it. You can offer your team members some flexibility while still insisting that they get their work done within a reasonable set of parameters. The freedom to nap all afternoon and work into the wee hours of the morning may appeal to some employees, but really all it does is throw that sense of balance out of…