How Communication Improves Productivity in Remote Teams

In the new normal boardroom meetings and weekly update meetings have been replaced by Zoom calls, Google Meet, Slack, WhatsApp and other tech channels. Teams habituated to whiteboard reviews, are now adapting to Zoom review calls. Although employers were quick to adopt remote working, they soon found that not every employee adapted to it as expected. 

Lack of proper communication was found to be one of the reasons why some remote teams ended up unproductive. ‘Zoom Fatigue’ has been a trend in the new normal owing to poor communication strategies by anxious employers. Remote employees often also felt that communication has become one sided with organizational structures being dominated by hierarchies. Ideally, employers need to create open communication channels that motivate employees during crisis. Open communication helps improve productivity in remote teams in the following ways:

·        Encourages remote teams to be vocal about concerns, questions, or conflicts

·        Strengthens solidarity with the organization’s goals and objectives

·        Improves collaboration among team members

·        Upholds company values and culture through times of difficulty

·        Allows for better interpersonal and empathetic relationships among team members

But, how do you actually build your remote working culture around open communication? Here are a few suggestions:

·        Minimize formal communications to occasions where is it necessary

·        Let teams communicate internally about projects and deadlines

 

          Organize virtual team building sessions to get rid of the Zoom Fatigue

·        Schedule informal communication sessions to interact with your teams

·        Schedule Q & A sessions to let your teams voice out their concerns

·        Make time for team bonding activities to build better relationships among your team members

·        Listen to feedback and take actions that show your commitment towards ensuring a healthy work environment

·        Foster communication that builds long lasting relationships and empathy

Although the future of work is still uncertain, good communication always improves productivity.

How Can You Make Work From Home Exciting For Your Employees And Teams?

 Work from home is the new norm in the business world. This shift from the workplace environment to our various homes has helped many employers understand what the term ‘work’ really means. It is the pursuit and realization of a team goal in order to meet a better end-product for the consumers regardless of the place team members perform their duties.

Work from home is the performance of work activities from the confines of our home while still keeping in touch with other team members through virtual meetings.

BENEFITS OF WORK FROM HOME

There are several benefits to be derived from this new norm and this is a plus to the employer and even the team members.

1.     FINANCIAL COST: The cost incurred from transportation, eating out, and other miscellaneous expenses is minimized. This cost can rather be channeled to improve the work from home experience of employees that will increase their productivity and effectiveness; making available some income to be saved by them. 

2.     TIME: Usually, the time span for daily work activity could be from 8am to 5pm. Employees are expected to be at the workplace before the opening hour and also to leave minutes past the closing hours. This rush and pressure reduce the eagerness of team members but with the introduction of remote work, there is enough energy for them to work with resilience.

3.     ENERGY: Work from home gives employers and their team members a steady lifestyle. It provides them with an opportunity to reconnect with their family and friends and also grant them a stable relationship with other team members. With these privileges, employers and employees are always stirred to work when the need arises. They avail themselves for every virtual meeting and other activities that will make them functional in the production processes.

There are other benefits to be achieved by companies like the rapid level of development that follows, speed acquisition of consumer’s choice of products, and many others. 

IMPLEMENTATION

Remote work might be a relatively new technique for companies, there have been records of successes and failures associated with them.

These successes for any company are possible only on three principles: culture, communication, and coordination.

Culture: The customs and practices of a company must remain with members even as they work from home. The rules and regulations, policies, and other relevant laws must be adhered strictly to in order to save the company’s reputation.

Communication: This is a key principle that will help weave the relationship between employers and their team members even as they work towards achieving what consumers want. This second principle predicate how possible it will be for the coordination of all parties; the company and the consumers.

Coordination: Once the first two have been duly incorporated, the coordination of employees from home via virtual team bonding will assist the company with a great deal to achieve many successes.