Remotely Doesn’t Mean Separately: Some Tips for Maintaining Communication Between Employees

Corporate culture is an integral part of the work process in any company. This is a set of official and unspoken rules that unite the team, help it achieve its goals, and simply find a common language being within the same walls. Office workers who have just got a job can observe their more experienced colleagues, learn from their communication skills and ask questions on the spot. Undoubtedly, that part of people working remotely also needs to feel like a part of the team.

The world is changing, and with it, the working conditions, and sometimes all the specialists working on a project may be far from each other and never even see each other in person. Can we talk about team cohesion in such a situation? Of course! You can use the following tips if you are a manager or one of the remote professionals and want to communicate with your colleagues more effectively.

Establishing Friendly and Productive Atmosphere

For employees who are transferred to remote work after they have already worked in the office for some time are well acquainted with each other and the work principles, it will be much easier to adapt to the new format and avoid downtime.

If we are talking about a completely new team or newcomers, they need to be explained what common goals and values the team pursues in their work and, accordingly, what is expected from the employee themselves. In addition, each of the employees must know the structure and hierarchy of the company or team in order to address their questions to the right addressee and not distract other employees.

However, communication between all team members must exist, and in fact, it is one of the most important levers to motivate them. Being isolated from other employees can sometimes be challenging to maintain good spirits throughout the working day. Therefore, periodic calls must exist, and it is desirable that they occur in video mode. You should determine the regularity of calls yourself, but remember that they should be especially frequent right after switching to remote work since, at this moment, a new working routine of all employees is essentially formed, and some problems might arise.

At such online meetings, it is important to discuss issues related to current work, talk about plans for the week and summarize the completed tasks at the end of the week. Also, the team leader must announce updates and the news about the company and the segment as a whole and give the employees an opportunity to tell about their health and well-being. If necessary, make personal video calls with those who do not understand something and require a longer consultation.

Employing Effective Communication Tools

The communication methods and tools that are used in the office and remote work can be different. More precisely, their number will definitely increase in the transition to a remote activity. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that each employee understands and uses all the implemented platforms for communication and task tracking.

At first, the manager needs to make sure that each of the employees of their team remembers the need to enter data on a daily basis using cloud-based project management tools, time tracking, and other online collaboration platforms.

Remote work does not mean work at a convenient time for the employee. To ensure that the right person is always in touch, establish a clear work schedule for the team as a whole. Each employee of a remote team should have tasks for the day and enter data on the work done in special programs that will help managers monitor progress and employees themselves to prioritize tasks.

An important task of the project manager or other responsible specialist assigned for this purpose is to motivate their team to dialogue in a manner convenient for them. It is important to convey to employees that for effective remote work, they need not delay the emerging problems, and if they see that they cannot deal with them on their own, inform the line manager or colleagues in time. From the first days of work of remote employees, the emphasis should be on openness and honesty, nourishing their understanding that they can always get support if they do not understand something or do not succeed in something.

Properly planned, remote work can be the best employment option for both workers and business owners. Modern communication methods allow holding a general meeting via video and discussing all issues immediately. Maintaining team spirit and motivation of employees requires the efforts of managers who must regularly monitor the progress of each employee and be open to feedback. It will be great if your organization will have the opportunity to conduct teambuildings or contribute to the self-development and initiative of remote workers.