Virtual Organization: Staffing Strategies - Essay Example

VIRTUAL ORGANIZATION: STAFFING STRATEGIES Virtual organization is not a new concept these days but it is definitely not something we could have achieved without the technological advancement of 21st century. With organizations becoming more and more geographically expansive, it is not easy to have physical offices everywhere and for this reason virtual offices are what organizations seek at various locations in order to provide some direct contact for their clients in those areas. For virtual offices, however, you still require staff and this brings us to staffing strategies employed by virtual organization.

In most virtual organizations, staff is hired almost with the same criteria in mind as regular staff. The qualifications and experience are still important for these employees to become part of the organization but regular face-to-face interviews are not conducted. In most cases, these employees are hired through various communication channels including the Internet and the telephone. Interviews are conducted and resumes studied and then a contract is mailed to the employee that he is required to sign and return.

This means the person becomes a regular employee even without meeting his employers or other virtual colleagues. For those who are accustomed to social networking and a proper environment to work in, virtual employee status is new and rather difficult to get used to- however the flexibility and agility offered by this option are not available in traditional office environment. Thus staffing strategies should bear in mind the fact that this new working method would be different from traditional setup and thus adequate precautions must be taken to provide any kind of problem.

In most virtual organization, the problem of direct communication may arise. For example, you have a deadline to meet and client is yelling but the employee who was working on the project is nowhere in sight. It is then extremely critical to be able to get in touch with the employee to get status report. For this reason adequate measures must be taken before hiring the person. It is important to have all his contact numbers including his email and instant messaging ids available. He must he informed of the problems that can arise due to any delay in communication and this work help in ensuring timely response.

Virtual staffing problems can be solved if the organization joins hands with firms that provide virtual assistants. The firms have required manpower and software to get the firm connected with the right candidate and to assure them of their direct contact with the employee. These firms are usually present in the country from where the virtual employee would be hired and even if that is not the case, the firm takes all the responsibility for contacting employees and making sure work is done on time.

The best thing about virtual staffing is that it provides you with the option of having someone catering to the needs of your clients round the clock. This is because employees come from various countries and thus different time zones. Someone is usually awake when others are sleeping and this helps in getting a lot of work done and clients are never without assistance that they seek. References"Virtual corporations" accessed online 10th Dec 2006: http://www.brint.com/interview/astdint.htm