Three Strategies That Guarantee Employee Collaboration During Remote Work

Can collaboration exist in the world of remote work? Is every team member working towards a shared goal?

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As a manager, remote work may present a new challenge, especially if your on-site management style previously relied heavily on physical presence.

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Due to the pandemic, 44% of American employees now work remotely. Despite this transition, the goal for many organizations remains the same. So how can you foster inclusivity, increase productivity, and eventually improve business performance?

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In this setting, it’s only right that employers reimagine team collaboration to match the new normal. The success of remote work requires effective collaboration.

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Learn about the 3 effective ways of fostering team collaboration for a virtual workforce.

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Here’s how you can do it.

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1. Consistent communication is key

‍It’s been almost a year since most organizations began working remotely. If there’s one thing teams can agree on would be the significance of regular communication. Before COVID, all you needed to do was walk a few meters to shoot questions at your colleague. Today, you need to ramp up your efforts to keep communication lines open. 

We, therefore, recommend holding regular meetings to check in on members as a group and individually. Another way to help foster collaboration is through honest feedback. Additionally, ensure that all information is clear, whether it be deadlines, tasks, or expectations.

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For check-in meetings, we suggest you take note of the following:

• Find out how your team is really doing
• Encourage participation from every team member
• Encourage the use of video to increase interactions
• Insert humor during these meetings: for instance, employees could share funny clips or good news that’s not work-related

2. Restrategize

We cannot stress enough the importance of bringing your team together to plan ways of transitioning smoothly. Some of the issues to discuss in this virtual reset meeting include:

• Work expectations, changes in terms of workload, and leadership
• The challenges associated with remote work and possible solutions
• New team norms. We recommend sharing documentation detailing clear employee policies and guidelines

‍3. Introduce Collaboration Tools

Your team should make the most out of the various tools designed specifically for the current work environment. Thanks to innovation in tech, you no longer need to rely on email or phone calls. 

With instant messaging, it’s easy to get a hold of your team members much faster. To add collaboration software is just the icing on the cake. You won’t need to worry about duplication of responsibilities. You’ll know what project your colleague is working on and even better, collaborate easily. Let’s not forget the use of cloud-based tools for storage. Such tools ensure all documents are accessible to every team member.

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A collaborative remote team is essential for every business

Studies show that collaboration in the workplace offers tremendous benefits such as increased motivation, task engagement, and productivity. Remote collaboration is considerably more significant because of the disparate challenges, including parenting or working from different time zones. Therefore, as a leader, you need to adapt immediately to stay ahead and provide stability. Employing these three strategies ensures your team remains connected, engaged, and satisfied.