Here Are Five Tips To Help Your Remote Team Communicate Better

The communication at remote workplaces can vary greatly from the communication at the workplace in the days before COVID when the majority of employees worked in the same building and on the same floor.

 

Working remotely, your workplace communication can fall through the cracks if you and your employees do not make an effort to improve it.

 

This can lead to unhappiness and even bitterness between your teams.

 

We would like to share some of our communication best practices for remote work.

 

1. Ensure You Are Communicating Effectively With Your Colleagues And Team

 

 

If you're working remotely, you'll need to ensure everyone is on the same page with regard to your tasks and projects.

 

Every member of the team is now working in a separate location, it's easy to forget who is working on what at when it will be done.

 

Because of this, you should make sure you communicate important goals, tasks, and details, and ensure expectations are clear.

 

But here's the key: think outside of Zoom.

 

When it comes to scheduling, team members are frequently given more freedom, which allows them to be more productive overall.

 

They will also have more time to prepare a thoughtful response.

 

The best ideas are often slow to emerge. 

 

Other tools, such as loom, zoom calls, voice calls, and messages to phone calls, are effective in communicating asynchronously if your team members are located in different time zones.

 

2. Maintain a Close Relationship with Every Member of the Team

 

 

Even though you may not see your entire team at the office every day, building a strong relationship with each individual is still very important.

 

There's no doubt 1-1 meetings are one of the most important things you can do to manage your team.

 

Every member of your team needs to be treated with respect. 

 

If you are looking to motivate your employees, Zoom meetings are a great way to do it, but feedback apps are also an option.

 

For truly extraordinary results, consider sending your employees a tangible reward.

 

Your team will feel more supported and able to perform at their best if you stay close to them, which will increase your chances of spotting problems before they escalate.

 

3. Create A Clear Set Of Rules, Tools, and Protocols

 

Each of us has a favorite digital tool. Several people prefer Zoom, while others hate it.

 

Still, others prefer email while others would rather make a quick phone call.

 

Working remotely requires a set of rules, protocols, and boundaries for communication in order to run your team and company effectively.

 

Using email to send project details to the rest of the team, which are then copied and pasted into Slack, can quickly cause details to get lost.

 

The same goes for team members working remotely if people call their homes at midnight because they are in another time zone.

 

You'll be pleasantly surprised by what your team comes up with when you ask them to prepare for a meeting and share ideas and concerns for better communication and task management. 

 

If you are going to be the manager, be decisive and select a few tools and protocols to test in the future.

 

When something doesn't work, don't be afraid to make adjustments again.

 

It is important to bring up Slack if someone keeps using email instead of Slack.

 

4. You Shouldn't Take On a Task Online If It Didn't Work In Person

 

It is important to understand that while technology enables us to do a lot of things, it cannot replace the quality of being a genuine, kind, and respectful individual. 

 

In a digital environment, people aren't the same as they are in the real world, according to numerous studies.

 

We could be blunt or rude at times, forgetting that we are dealing with real people on the other side of the screen if we don't pay attention.

 

 

As a result, if we are to give you any advice today, keep in mind: You still must deal with people at work.

 

You shouldn't belittle them in front of their coworkers, so don't do it in a group email or Slack message.

 

Think about how you behave in person and how you behave online, and commit to being a better boss, manager, coworker, or employee regardless of the distance created by technology. 

 

5. Make an Extraordinary Effort to Promote Group Identities

 

 

The problem with working remotely is that despite frequent Zoom calls, emails, and collaboration, most employees or coworkers still spend most of their time alone.

 

Increasing productivity and job satisfaction can be achieved through this approach, but it can also make it challenging to cultivate company or team culture and to establish an intimate relationship. 

 

You will need to take extra steps to foster group identities, such as corporate culture or team culture.

 

You can do this the same way online as you can in person. 

 

When a meeting begins, rather than getting right to business, take the time to learn more about each other.

 

Find out more about their hobbies, family lives, and other interests outside of work.

 

Plan enjoyable group activities via Zoom, just as you would at work.

 

Set up a channel in a messaging app where people can discuss anything - related to work or not.

 

In the past, some of these things might have occurred naturally like group lunches, pre-meeting chit-chat, etc.

 

You'll need to create these important bonds while working remotely.

 

THOUGHTS

 

The final thing we would recommend on communication is to be patient if you suddenly find yourself in a remote work situation.

 

Working remotely is a new idea for everyone on your team, whether it's your boss, your team members, or your employees. 

 

Some will adjust to it more quickly.

 

Others will have a difficult time.

 

Keeping in mind the remote work communication tips we've outlined above will help you improve workplace communications, you should remain patient and understanding along the way.