Virtual Work in the Association World

At a workplace flexibility forum President Obama said, “Work is what you do, not where you do it.” I live that principle as a freelancer, but, for most of you, ‘work’ is the association office.

A study found that 63 million employees (45% of the total U.S. workforce) have jobs that could be done remotely and want to do so, yet only 2.9 million of them (2% of the workforce) work remotely. However, the virtual work trend is growing. 80% of Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies To Work For now offer it as a benefit.

Several associations are part of this brave new world, including:

• Alliance for Innovation
• American College of Health Care Administrators
• Association of University Programs in Health Administration
• Forest Resources Association
• Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association
• Professional Association of Innkeepers International

What’s in it for you?

You’ll save money on overhead – office space, equipment and utilities. According to studies, virtual workers are more productive, less prone to absenteeism and less likely to leave for greener pastures, reducing turnover expenses.

Laurie P. Cooke, CAE, CEO of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), said on the ASAE blog that a virtual team allows her “to hire the best person for the job regardless of their geographic location.” She also likes having staff in the field to engage with members and chapters.

Shiny happy people

The most powerful benefit is the change it makes in morale. Employees’ quality of life increases; they get back a few hours each day previously spent preparing for and commuting to work.

But more importantly, virtual teams are empowered to work how, when and where they’re most productive – which might be a problem for managers with control issues. Dan Pink in his book Drive says one of the secrets “to high performance and satisfaction at work is the deeply human need to direct our own lives” – autonomy. Virtual employees balance their lives in ways that make sense for them and their organization, perhaps taking a few hours off to attend a child’s game, but monitoring social media during the weekend.

The key ingredient: trust

The biggest barrier to virtual work is management’s mistrust and fear about lost productivity. Mary Margaret Armstrong, chapter development director at HBA, believes the secret to trust and productivity “begins with hiring the right people, people who can thrive in a virtual environment – it’s not for everyone. We paint a picture for them of what it’s really like.”

She suggests finding people with a solid work ethic who will set boundaries for themselves. “They need to know when to stop working as it’s very easy to stay at work in your home office.” Be clear on goals, expectations and deliverables.

Hold weekly individual and group conferences (phone and video) between staff and management and between virtual staff. Occasional face-to-face social events help virtual teams bond.

Getting it done 21st century style

Virtual teams use file sharing tools (Dropbox, Citrix GoToMyPC and Google Apps), instant messaging, Skype and other video conferencing platforms. Mary Margaret says, “We use Skype all the time and love its video capability especially multi-person video where more than two people can see each other.” Make sure your AMS and other systems are accessible via the web. Use a tool like Tungle.me to schedule calls and meetings across time zones.

You don’t need a central office to provide top-notch member service. Mary Margaret says, “Our member service has excelled. We give our employees flexibility and pull together to support each other.”

Extra help

Because virtual employees don’t have on-site support staff, outsource local IT expertise to support them. Consider offering an occasional coworking space for interaction with other workshifters.

Here are additional resources for virtual teams:

• Workshifting blog
• Virtual resources hub at Team Dynamics, an AMC specializing in transitioning nonprofit organizations to virtual platforms
• One Year of Working Virtually: Three Lessons Learned by Jay Karen, CEO, Professional Association of Innkeepers International

Virtual work won’t appeal to everyone, some will find working from home too isolating, but it’s a benefit many employees will appreciate.

Has your association tried virtual teams? What advice do you have for those who are considering it?


Deirdre Reid, CAE is a freelance writer who loves working from home but misses the cake at monthly birthday parties in CBIA’s conference room.