Remote work has its advantages, including eliminating commute time, providing greater control over one’s schedule, and working in comfy attire. Nevertheless, it can also pose unforeseen difficulties.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to new obstacles for team leaders and their employees. Past statistics suggest that 66% of remote workers have faced issues concerning loneliness, balancing their personal and professional life, collaborating with colleagues, and staying motivated. With the sudden shift to virtual work, it’s probable that this percentage has risen. It is imperative for managers to be prepared with the essential tools to effectively manage the present-day remote workplace.
Works analyses communication behaviour to furnish managers with practical ideas that improve teamwork, employee satisfaction, and a sense of community. Our analytics empowers managers to comprehend the dynamics of their virtual team better and recognise prospective problems more expeditiously. This is accomplished without reading any text from means such as email, IM, and schedules.
May I propose three tips supported by empirical data for improving collaboration and internal communication among managers:
Elevate Your Team’s Dialogue
Virtual teams rely significantly on effective communication for their prosperity. Given the rise in the number of remote workers, digital channels, including email, have become indispensable for communication. Studies indicate that email is the most efficient mode of communicating with remote coworkers.
- Email (88%)
- Instant messaging (45%)
- Video conferencing (36%)
To establish the essentials for succeeding in the present-day remote work arena, managers ought to establish fitting communication channels.
Select the most fitting communication channel, not just any means of contact.
During virtual conversations and written exchanges, it’s crucial to maintain professionalism and concentrate on presenting objective information rather than expressing opinions or giving advice. Video and audio calls can be utilised to convey empathy and add humour to the conversation. Nonetheless, this doesn’t imply that email and chat apps should be disregarded; instant messaging platforms like Slack can be useful for staying connected with your team when working remotely.
Track the duration and purpose of your and your team’s written and verbal communication. Based on the data, take necessary steps and establish new protocols.
Avoid over-relying on instant messaging.
Asynchronous modes of communication like email and chat can prove advantageous in numerous situations by streamlining team processes and keeping them goal-oriented. This mode of communication is particularly handy for remote workers or those operating in distinct time zones. To guarantee maximum productivity and teamwork, it’s important to plan aptly and maintain an equilibrium between synchronous and asynchronous communication.
Adopt innovative techniques.
Employees who shift to remote work often encounter a sense of seclusion and unpreparedness. Hence, as a team, it’s important to instil a positive work culture and welcome any new practices that emerge. With the current array of tools, maintaining connections and participating in virtual communities is more straightforward than ever. Why not organise a team lunch gathering or set up video chats over coffee for your team? Such small gestures can have a significant impact on the morale of remote workers.
Ensure regular communication with your team.
Regular one-on-one meetings serve as a valuable approach to monitor staff progress. It’s common practice for efficient managers to touch base with their teams regularly, whether to check progress or offer support through daily calls.
Offer constructive feedback.
Remote teams must give significant importance to showing gratitude and offering praise on a frequent basis. Such acknowledgements of effort can not only boost confidence but also make remote workers feel valued and appreciated. We have the daily opportunity to offer and receive motivation through the words we use, our expressions, and the tone of our voices.
Timing Factors for Presentations
Our probe into remote work indicated that over one-third of employees with children would like their employer to ask for their input on scheduling meetings.
Supervisors can leverage technological instruments to identify their team’s availability for teamwork, thereby enabling them to plan a more effective and thoughtful timetable.
By investing time in learning about each team member’s unique situation, managers can build trust and show their employees that they care about them.
Ensure you consistently gauge your team’s morale.
With the growing importance of digital communication, the role of People Analytics in providing prompt and unbiased insights is crucial.
Informal discussions and unnamed assessments are no longer sufficient to track team solidarity and gauge employee sentiment. With a growing number of remote employees apprehensive about the possible outcomes of sharing their thoughts, obtaining an accurate understanding of the needs and desires of the workforce has become a more challenging task. Various Slack-based tools can be of assistance in effectively managing distributed teams.
Technology can help managers compensate for the reduced leadership opportunities presented by remote work. By gathering quantitative data to assess the team’s sentiment, managers can swiftly take steps to improve team collaboration and spirit.
At Works, we have established a system that notifies managers when a team’s meeting time surpasses a designated threshold. This helps managers prevent overbooking of meetings, allowing their team members to concentrate on their primary responsibilities.
Managers can also rely on data to evaluate the ease with which new employees assimilate into the organisation. For instance, if new hires exhibit less social involvement than their colleagues, managers must take action to bridge the gap. Armed with these insights, managers may emphasise onboarding and retention processes to create a more supportive work environment for new team members.
Efficient Virtual Management
Remote work offers numerous benefits, yet it can also pose various challenges. To ensure that your distributed team can reap the benefits of enhanced collaboration, productivity, and work-life balance, it is essential to harness data to boost the remote work experience. With the right practices and technology in place, remote work can be a gratifying and productive experience, whether you are an experienced remote manager or a novice. To hire remote developers for your team, visit our website.
