Remote working is no longer a new phenomenon. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major cultural shift among workers. The culture of teleworking or working from home has now taken center stage, and employees around the world have adapted their seats to meet the needs of the organization.
As businesses abruptly withdraw, employees around the world are going through a crisis. Since most of the global workforce is not used to it, they are unprepared for the many problems this sudden change will bring. One of the significant challenges they face when working from home is communication. Team collaboration suffers because transparency is compromised. No group involvement, direct access to colleagues, or coffee-cup brainstorming sessions. You can no longer go to a coworker’s office to chat, schedule a face-to-face meeting, or call someone for a project update.
All of these communication bottlenecks take a heavy toll on employee engagement and morale. Naturally, a similar level of commitment is not easy now. And workflow can suffer due to communication barriers.
1. Setup Guide
Principles and protocols are key to keeping everyone on the same page. Here’s what you can add to your guide-
Tools and programs that people use:
To minimize distractions and misunderstandings
Regular work schedule and availability of your employees at specific times:
To maximize productivity and keep the team aligned. To be present at meetings and conferences:
Develop team trust and dynamism.
Enough time to wait for a response:
For effective collaboration and time management.
Inform team members about projects:
To maintain the workflow.
Since maintaining transparency while working remotely is difficult, a set of guidelines can help overcome this challenge and keep the team motivated.
2. Use common communication tools
The purpose behind this is to keep everyone interacting and communicating effectively during business hours and to correct any misunderstandings that may arise. There are hundreds of communication tools. Choose the one that is most accessible and culturally appropriate. Use standard communication tools to connect with your teams. If your employees use different tools to log in, it will be difficult to be effective. For example, if you choose Zoom for video conferencing or Slack for chat, make sure the whole team is using it.
3. Video Conferencing
Face-to-face communication is very important. It builds camaraderie, increases productivity, and overall collaboration. With employees working remotely, the benefits of face-to-face communication are compromised. Audio calls and chat are great, but there are limitations. Mainly when sharing files and at the same time notifying your colleagues or team about a project. Video conferencing is the most effective method of communication in this regard.
Here, if you connect via audio or chat app, it will take time for all. Therefore, hosting regular video conferencing helps you do this effectively.
4. Project Management System
One of the key communication blocks is making employees accountable for their duties. Simply put, maintain a seamless workflow. Project management tools like Asana or Trello can help you track this activity. Management tools can save you time and keep track of your workflow. It helps team members stay informed and collaborate with their colleagues. If you have regular Scrum meetings where you need to take inventory of assigned projects and tasks, having a workflow can be a lifesaver. To overcome this obstacle, set up a project management system.
