The Future of a Balanced Workforce Lies in Virtual Working

Virtual work became conspicuous during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), which restricted human mobility. However, remote work has increased globally, given the desire of business managers to capitalize on its benefits. Research findings indicate increased virtual working after the pandemic compared to before. Virtual working has personal and professional benefits for employees despite its implementation challenges. Employers and business managers have accommodated virtual or hybrid work models for tasks that do not require traditional work or in-person presence. Remote working has multiple benefits for the contemporary workforce, including fostering work-life balance, cost savings during the economic downturn, and the convenience of global talent teams. 

Work-life balance is the primary benefit of virtual working, where employees capitalize on technological advancements to balance their professional and personal lives. Technology alleviates workers from commuting to and from work, which requires significant time. Instead, workers rely on digital technology to accomplish tasks and responsibilities anytime and anywhere. The flexibility of virtual working brings the necessary work-life balance for the contemporary workforce (Ferreira et al., 2021). Organizations increase the productivity of a workforce that enjoys work-life balance, given the boost in morale. In remote working arrangements in the organizational culture, employees demonstrate a willingness to engage in change management without resistance. Employees show job satisfaction when enjoying the autonomy and flexibility of working remotely compared to in-person presence. Job satisfaction is critical in organizational management, where employees feel appreciated and accommodated. This feeling increases in a virtual working arrangement where employees manage work schedules efficiently and conveniently. 

Deploying virtual working teams in international organizations is cost-saving. Virtual work across borders enables employees and organizations to save on the operating costs involved in commuting and relocation. Face-to-face contacts in international Business are expensive, given the requirement to rent office space and accommodate various office supplies and utilities. International organizations benefit from virtual work teams by reallocating resources to other vital aspects, such as research and development (Alkoud & Qatamin, 2023). As a result, employing virtual teams increases business output through cost savings and the convenience of working in teams. Remote working allows teams to work seamlessly regardless of time and geographical location while eliminating the need for overhead expenditure. Team members work around the clock without incurring significant expenses in commuter charges and operating costs as in the in-person arrangement. Continuous work criteria, regardless of time and geographical location, make international organizations competitive and satisfy customers. Therefore, cost savings in utilizing a remote work approach increase project accomplishment speed and drive market expansion in the global market. 

Employees save on travel expenses when organizations embrace virtual work. Virtual teams accomplish tasks and projects when working remotely and relying on digital communication means to collaborate. This approach is cost-saving and convenient for employees and team members for organizational projects. Individual employees bear the costs required to travel to destinations of face-to-face interaction (Ferreira et al., 2021). Beyond trip costs, face-to-face work arrangements must cater to accompanying expenses, including hotel bookings and meals. In virtual work teams, organizations and employees realize effective resource utilization by avoiding flight and lodging expenses for international businesses. Face-to-face arrangements with international businesses require relocation of staff whose expenditure is enormous. As a result, labor cost savings on relocation and traveling for international businesses are achievable through virtual teamwork (Alkoud & Qatamin, 2023). Workers capitalize on digital communication to collaborate and coordinate in handling duties and projects from home. Therefore, virtual teamwork has economic and environmental benefits for the organization and individual team members.  

Virtual working models enable organizations to tap into the global talent pool. Businesses recruit and engage team members from anywhere worldwide to deliver the desired input. These arrangements enable organizations to access talents that are not available locally. Additionally, businesses and organizations can access talents with diverse skill sets and experiences by using virtual working teams (Andrade & Andrade, 2023). Experts worldwide with diverse skill sets enable the organization to realize its goals and mission. The diversity of global talent teams brings multiple perspectives, backgrounds, education, and cultural aspects to the organization. Team diversity has a positive impact on organizational productivity, as viewed from the resource-based theory (Kupa, 2020). However, effective management of diverse teams is necessary to realize desired productivity, as suggested in the similarity attraction and social identity theories. Diverse things solve problems and bring creativity to the organization, given the diversity of resources and perspectives. 

Career advancement and democratization of professional growth are other benefits of virtual teams working in organizations. Team members benefit from virtual working by expanding their social connections across borders. Moreover, digital communication facilitates collaboration among team members from different geographical locations. Interacting using video conferencing, online chat systems, and virtual meetings facilitates faster information transfer, strengthening links between team members (Andrade & Andrade, 2023). The outcome of stronger connections through virtual working tools is broadening mentorship and accessing professional development projects. As a result, remote working benefits companies by enhancing human resource development. Training programs and participating in professional assignments are possible through virtual models, where team members participate regardless of their backgrounds. Organizations that promote work criteria reduce employee turnover and give opportunities for career advancement that contribute to job satisfaction. 

Despite the benefits of virtual working in organizations, its application has drawbacks for companies and employers. Firstly, administrative issues arise when the organization deploys virtual teams working in its culture. For instance, the potential failure of digital communication creates the possibility of disjointed engagement among team members (Ferreira et al., 2021). Inadequate communication channels due to technology failure contribute to disengagement, lack of cohesion, and delays in tackling particular issues. The lack of face-to-face interaction means managers struggle to solve problems immediately when they arise. Delayed problem-solving in virtual teamwork might undermine team morale and trigger feelings of disconnect and isolation. Such issues are available during physical interactions in the in-person setup. Disconnect and isolation feelings among team members affect productivity negatively by causing psychological challenges for individual team members (Wax et al., 2022). Thus, organizations must find a balance between virtual teams and physical engagement depending on work circumstances. 

Operating in a virtual team environment triggers managerial and leadership challenges for organizations. Virtual teams exhibit a diversity of language skills and behavioral and attitudinal characteristics. As a result, the potential for conflicts arising from misinterpretations and misunderstandings is high in virtual team interactions. Trust issues arise in remote working arrangements where members lack social interactions to satisfy social needs. Video conferencing and virtual meetings replace face-to-face meetings, which cause mistrust, negative feelings, and anxiety among human team members (Kupa, 2020). Consequently, employers and managers require specialized skills to handle issues arising from virtual teamwork. The unique skill sets should prepare managers and employers to deal with diverse communication styles, cultures, and variations in time zones. Such skill sets must solve the language and trust challenges, given the lack of social presence within teams. Moreover, employers and managers should be proactive in tackling technical challenges that cause frustration to team members. For instance, alternative communication should always be available to solve possible communication barriers brought about by the breakdown of digital communication tools (Andrade & Andrade, 2023). Support resources and ongoing training of virtual team members are critical to improving their interaction with communication gadgets and internet connections. 

Remote working can cause adverse outcomes for individual employees due to unforeseen circumstances. The potential burnout and hidden operational costs defeat the desired outcomes of work-life balance and cost savings. Homeworking might compel employees to work without breaks and leisure time, as witnessed in the physical office presence. As a result, employees work for extended periods as they struggle to disengage from their online workstations. Extended working periods result in a lack of exercise, idea-sharing, and spontaneous interactions, leading to increased stress and burnout (Wax et al., 2022). Stress and burnout are negative outcomes that affect the productivity of the organization. Digital technology requires that individual employees invest in digital infrastructure, while companies invest in digital infrastructure and cybersecurity measures. These investments come with upfront and ongoing expenditures for the purchase of hardware and software, and regular updates and patching are required (Andrade Andrade, 2023). Consequently, virtual working can cause absenteeism if workers lack the necessary gadgets or potential data breaches. 

Remote work arrangement has multiple benefits to companies and individual team members. These benefits drive organizational competitiveness and expansion efforts regardless of geographical borders and time variations. However, virtual teamwork can have an adverse impact on individual employees and the overall productivity of companies. Some operations and circumstances require office work arrangements to sustain productivity. As a result, companies must enjoy the benefits of virtual teamwork while finding solutions to its negative implications. A hybrid work model is preferable to capitalize on the advantages of remote working while balancing the interactive and collaborative benefits of office working. Combining the benefits of virtual working teams and office work arrangements is vital for an accommodating workplace culture. Organizations should practice hybrid models to create a resilient workforce that shows job satisfaction and realizes desired productivity levels.