Essay Example on Remote Working: Challenges of Leadership in Virtual Teams

Introduction

Many of the employers, mostly in relatively large firms, have a virtual team across the various countries in the world, and all are remotely working. However, such employees still need some level of leadership to make a commute and operate based on the expected hours. For instance, some companies allow their clients to be in a position to access their details from any device and in any location (Rigby et al., 2016). Many of the managers believe that one of the significant and most unpredictable benefits is because the relationships between the individuals in the team tend to be stronger due to the application of C-Suite. For instance, the worker can share a lot of information via the use of Slack or any other popular communication Application about work and their personal experiences.

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When a company uses some of the communication channels, their interaction seems to be more direct, as even the top management can receive a direct message anytime with a question. Therefore, remote teams play the role of making the Chief Executive Officers and other senior management more accessible and enhancing team cooperation. The question is: why do some of the employers in a suburban location be reluctant to allow the executive to work remotely? Some of the employers have not fully embraced the importance of C-Suite remote operations, in which executive-level managers within an organization work remotely by sometime receiving direct messages.

It is critical to analyze the C-suite since it is the most significant and influential team of people within an organization. To reach such executive top levels in a firm require a more extensive experience and leadership skills. For example, C-Suite positions may include Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Human Resources Manager (CHRM), and Chief Executive Officer, among other levels. Nonetheless, the number of C-level positions changes based on various variables, such as the size of the firm, mission, and values.

The C-level members tend to work in common production to ensure that a firm's strategies and activities link their developed policies and plans. Every C-Suite personnel has a unique job description, but all are incorporated to achieve the shared mission of a company. To effectively analyze the management of the C-Suite remotely, one needs to be aware of the various C-Suite position and their respective roles.

The Managing of the C-Suite Remotely

Reasons Why Employers are hesitant to allow Executives to Work Remotely

One of the reasons is that it is relatively more convenient to meet and address clients' issues in a dedicated on-site office space, and many clients' expectations are to be met in direct contact. Using office space, other leaders can easily be accessed and engaged. It is also assumed that those in the CEO need all other C-Suite level individuals closer at the headquarters to be efficiently accessed. However, it would be more useful for the CEO to manage remotely using platforms like Slack, Hangout, and other remote tools if the rest of the workers are expected to use the same tools as well. The remote executive can better manage a remote team since they share their varied experience.

Developing Malvern Bank for Remote Work

Work from home arrangements for workers is presently an embraced work-life balance perk offered by various companies like the Malvern Bank as one of the hiring and retention strategies in a highly competitive talent and skills marketplace. However, the remote work has had some pitfalls, and the Bank feels that it has not wholly benefited most of the executives due to the following reasons: inadequate training and development for management and leadership on how to work remotely using the available remote tools and incapacity to efficiently transition remote administration as a typical systematic way of conducting daily businesses.

Malvern Bank needs to design a business case for work-from-home options beyond the gain of an individual C-Suite.

The cooperation can begin with minimizing the office expenses, enhance retention of its various professional employees, and even train more C-Suite individuals to take up the responsibility of the Bank in the future. When the banks have designed a business case, it needs to immediately initiate a strategy to train its leaders on how to manage remote effectively and efficiently to transition from the culture of the on-site management approach successfully. The firm has to be ready to invest in training their C-Suite on the issue of managing remotely since C-Suite is one of the most significant valuable assets of the firm as they provide the Bank with the expertise to assist in minimizing risks and enhancing profitability.

Since financial cooperation is critical institutions, the companies realize that providing virtual work opportunities can be of benefit; however, they do not wish to compromise on the security or control of the companies.

Assessing Remote Work

Employers of the Bank can evaluate and monitor executives working remotely or from home offices by providing them with an opportunity to be able to conduct their activities remotely for a week or two, and also try to benchmark with other organizations that have had successful management remotely. A plan needs to be initiated that will ensure that common policies and questions that the existing remote employees have are available.

Questions for Remote Work Policies:

• What does remote work look like in this firm?
• What are the expectations?
• How are activity and productivity evaluated and measured?
• What errors have other leaders made?
• Who will pay for any necessary equipment or technology?

Recruiting and executing remote C-Suite personnel can be of significant benefit to a relatively large firm like the Malvern Bank, such as saving revenues in hiring top managers and on office space. The remote managing also can help employers to expand their leadership in unrestricted geography. Moreover, with remote work options, employers tend to have a more competitive advantage as more professionals prefer such work arrangements.

Efficiencies and opportunities within the C-Suite to ensure the Malvern Bank goals have been met

Efficiencies

Some data have indicated that working remotely has no negative implications for an organization or its employees, and working remotely has just enhanced the productivity and performances of the employees. Many executives tend to spend most of their time in meetings; thus, they require technology to be able to conduct productive meetings. The C-level executives put more emphasis on the level of engagement at their meetings.

Moreover, when remote employees are connected and can view the meeting room, they rarely get distracted or even disengaged. Therefore, employing a useful technique is critical in ensuring the efficiency of managing C-Suite due to its various benefits. Some of the tools that can be applied in remote working include the following: Google Hangouts for video conferencing, Skype, Zoom; meeting Owl used for video conferencing; Google Hangout Chat for group messaging; Microsoft Surface for on-the-go activities and Google Calendar to update the teams. Nonetheless, video conferencing enhances the connectedness of remote employees, thus productivity.

Due to remote working, the relationship between the employees and the executives is fortified as there is an adequate flow of information because workers seem to share a lot over Slack (Tucker et al.,2016). Remote managing can make executives promote teamwork by executing approaches like video chats, initiating video conferencing meetings, and not just audio. The daily calendar can also be updated, indicating where and when the employees are working to keep everyone on watch and in line with the set goals of the Bank. The video conferencing is more effective than audio-only in regards to communication. Moreover, employing products like the Meeting Owl can facilitate the level of interaction and connection within the firm and, thus, efficiency in operations.

Opportunities

When the Malvern Bank's CEO shifts to a more agile and flexible schedule, it allows other C-Suite leaders also to switch. Promoting remote working assist the companies to retain expertise. The remote workforce has further extended the sharing of skills to those employees who are not necessarily at the Bank's headquartered. The company engages in video conferencing technology and other virtual remote tools to experience growth and development within the firm.

Remote workers with on-site managers relatively have fewer career growth conversations; thus, managers need to adapt to the demands of remote employees. The hybrid teams of the Malvern Bank require various approaches as a result of management, group structure, and technology. Therefore, to manage remote control, the employer needs to train on how to manage the existing hybrid team since the Bank will have to support the flexibility of work policies.

Role on the project as the Executive Assistant to the CEO: to manage the communication, interaction and the manager of what the project entitles

Executive Assistant to the Chief Effective Officer

Role Played In the Project as the Executive Assistant to the CEO

As an executive assistant to the CEO, I have a high level and confidential administrative support of the CEO. The duties were basically project-based and encompass organizing meetings, scheduling travel to assess the projects, managing information, and presenting reports to the CEO.

Liaison with board members

Through the exclusive interactions with the board members. The assistant had the duty to ensure that board meetings were scheduled to discuss the highlights of the C-Suite managing as in the new project in the Bank by handling logistics and fielding the general questions from the board members regarding the proposed change.

Manage the communication

As an executive assistant, one of the primary duties is to manage communication, such as protecting the CEO of the Malvern Bank from the aggressive press, assisting out in a professional emergency. The assistant has to be efficiently equipped. For example, scheduling video and conference call meetings, and making sure the notices reach the intended individuals about the change being proposed. By managing that the communication, rooms have to be equipped with functioning devices such as video conferencing devices; and ensuring that every participant is efficiently connected. It would also be vital to prioritize the emails to reply, such as those made by the C-Suite personnel, since this is entirely in the hands of the assistant permit. Some of the critical duties of the assistant, such as preparing interpretation and translating the correspondence. To ensure that the communication is effectively managed, an assistant to the CEO would ensure that the document out of the project are signed and securely archived.

The C-Suite Remote management at the Malvern Bank

The assistant to the CEO will also play the role of a manager of the stated project on managing C-Suite remotely at the Malvern Bank. Some of the roles of the project manager (assistant to the CEO).

• Activity and resource planning
• Organizing and motivating a project team
• Controlling time management
• Cost estimating and developing the budget
• Analyzing and managing project risk
• Managing reports and necessary documentation

There is a need to communicate the ability to lead a group remotely....