40 www.virtual-teams.eu 5. Skills for working remotely productively 5.1. Necessary skills for working remotely productively Remote working is becoming part of our daily lives. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced companies to move to a remote working model. They have adapted their mission and service to meet new needs. Managers and their teams have had to adapt to remote working, and its advantages and disadvantages. Remote working may seem harmless at first glance, but according to empirical evidence it can also have a toll on employees’ mental and physical wellbeing. As such in order to gain the most out of remote working it is essential to cultivate some specific skills. Teleworking has moved the office into the private sphere of employees. They have access to their work at any time via technological tools (computers, tablets...). In addition to the tools needed to manage virtual work, managers of virtual teams need to balance the requirements of remote productivity with the efficiency and well-being of their teams. To achieve their goals in an online environment, employees rely on many skills necessary to maintain effective productivity. Productivity is the amount of output per hour of work, in other words, the amount of work completed per hour of work. All companies aim to achieve a good level of productivity to increase their profits. To do so, they look for a certain efficiency in the work of their employees to achieve their objectives. Limited literature exists on the skills needed for working remotely productively. However, many employment agencies, professional websites, and others are putting forward their vision of working remotely and the skills needed to ensure work productivity. For example, Ashira Prossack, a life coach and journalist for Forbes newspaper, has compiled a list of "5 Must-Have skills for remote work". She highlights 5 skills employees must have to work effectively remotely: Strong written communication skills, Collaboration, Focus, Time management and Adaptability. To address this lack of academic research, the Virtual Teams project partners conducted field research to identify the essential skills required by managers, directors, HR professionals, etc. to ensure the productivity of remote work. This research showed disparities between the different countries but also some similarities with many articles available on the internet. So, what skills are needed to be productive in remote work??
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