Collaboration is one of the most important aspects of any successful business. The ability to work with others, share ideas, and communicate are all crucial skills you use daily in the workplace.
When you throw a remote workplace, or a hybrid format, into the mix, however, collaboration can get more complicated. As a result, it’s important to create preventative measures that promote collaboration — no matter where employees decide to work.
Plan Regular Group Meetings
Group meetings are a simple way to keep remote workers in touch with each other. Not only can they make sure everyone is on the same page, but it keeps them engaged and motivated too.
It’s easy for business managers to forget their team members when they aren’t physically present at all times. Group meetings help alleviate this problem. They also help build a stronger sense of community and teamwork which are essential for any remote-working environment to survive.
Apply Best Practices When Using Video Conferencing Technology
As more and more companies continue to adopt remote working conditions for their employees, video conferencing technology has become an essential tool. However, there are pros and cons associated with using this technology, and companies need to ensure their employees implement best practices when utilizing these tools.
This can include maintaining dress codes when conferencing with other employees, eliminating background noise and distractions in personal work settings, and most importantly, maintaining professional demeanors when participating in these meetings.
Keep Team Communications Open Regularly
Team communication is essential for keeping your remote team members engaged and interested in the work they do. You can start this process by setting up a weekly meeting with checking on their progress with each employee, whether it’s through video calls or personal one-on-one meetings.
Schedule out these sessions ahead of time so that you’re not adding extra stress to your employees. During these meetings, make sure you go over their tasks and ask for feedback on how they’re feeling about the work they’ve been doing lately. This is important when it comes to making sure that everyone on your team is satisfied with the work they’re doing and how you receive it.
Develop a Collaborative Problem Solving Culture
Knowing how to solve one’s problems is an important skill set regardless of what industry you’re in. However, working together professionally and productively when solving larger issues that impact multiple people can be more challenging, especially when working in remote settings.
The first step for fostering this type of culture within your organization is having employees understand precisely what you’re trying to achieve through open and honest dialogue about the issue at hand, and how it may impact others. This can be done via company-wide emails or team meetings that encourage questions, suggestions, and ideas from those that may have ideas.
The next step is to set up an action plan or strategy for how your employees will work together toward finding the solution. This should include certain key milestones so that everyone involved knows their role and when they should expect results to occur.
Look for Opportunities to Celebrate Achievements
Another way for remote teams to build positive relationships is by recognizing and celebrating achievements, regardless of how big or small. So often, employees can get caught up in the details of their work that they forget to take a step back and congratulate one another on achieving major milestones within projects.
This can be done through company-wide emails, team meetings where you give out special awards, or even sending handwritten notes via snail mail. Either way, it’s essential to show your appreciation for everyone involved when something goes right. This will help reinforce positivity throughout your entire organization while building stronger connections between individuals who are working together remotely.
Invest in the Right Collaboration Tools
When it comes to communication and collaboration, many tools can be used in remote settings. While an email is often an effective tool for sending important memos or documents back and forth between employees, chat applications such as Slack or Skype provide simultaneous instant messaging for a group of individuals.
Tools like these allow your team members to ask questions when they arise so that everyone stays up-to-date on projects at all times. They also help facilitate group conversations around specific topics instead of broadcasting information through emails that might not reach the right people at the right time.
In Summary
The key to finding success in a remote working environment is fostering an open and collaborative remote working culture. This starts with making sure that everyone on your team understands what you’re trying to achieve and how they will help achieve those goals, then setting up milestones for the action plan or strategy. It also means recognizing achievements, no matter how small, and investing in the right tools for facilitating open dialogue and collaboration throughout your organization.
With these fundamental elements taken care of, you’re sure to have a positive work environment where everyone can achieve the best results possible.
