About v-Fluence

Overcoming the Challenges of Working in a Virtual Environment

My friend Kelly loves to introduce me as her friend Stephanie who has “the greatest job in the world.” However, she often follows this sentence with “but I could never do it.”

Working for a predominately virtual company, such as v-Fluence, has many rewards, as any regular reader of this blog could tell you, but it also presents unique challenges that traditional companies and their employees do not face.

Staying on top of tasks is one of the many potential challenges of working in a virtual office. When I first starting working at v-Fluence a little more than a year ago, many of my friends asked me how I did it, how could I work at home and actually get anything done. On the flipside, however, working from home offers advantages, such as flexibility, that traditional companies cannot offer. While we are faced with the occasional domestic distraction, such as dirty dishes or a child home from school because of a snow day, we also have the freedom to work in a comfortable environment that suits our individual work habits. In my case, a dedicated home office space helps immensely; I have a two-bedroom apartment; one is my office. I know that once I step foot in that room, I am at work. There is no television in that room and no dirty dishes. That separation is important for me to be successful and focused each day.

Another common challenge faced by virtual company employees: balancing work and home life. While most professionals leave their offices each day and head home, my office is in my home, 15 feet from my couch, in fact, making it difficult to close out completely. Because I live alone, finding that balance has been especially hard for me; many of my fellow team members are married or have roommates who remind them to stop working. In my case, I remind myself to put an end to each day, which often takes more convincing than one would think.

One of the other challenges that we all face is lack of face-to-face time with our co-workers. We may go months without seeing one another. In a traditional office environment, it’s easy (or easier) to see what might be a bad or especially stressful day for someone; in my case, instant messenger or e-mail doesn’t always cut it. My colleagues and I combat this problem by getting together every so often at a co-worker’s house or a local coffee shop or simply picking up the phone.

While working at home presents its own set of unique challenges, there are some amazing benefits, one being our biannual meetings, which are held in various cities around the country. You’ll hear about one of these meetings, which is going on as we speak in Ensenada, Mexico; stay tuned for updates!

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