Remote work has become quite popular in the last few years. One survey by FlexJobs revealed that 65% of respondents are keen to work remotely. Some are even willing to take a pay cut to make this happen! The good thing is that remote workers have also been found to be up to 40% more productive and satisfied than in-office employees. Now, one way to tap into the benefits of remote work is to improve your team’s ability to collaborate. Here are a few tips to set you on the right path. 

Set clear goals 

As the manager or business owner, you ought to set realistic goals for your team. For example, you can assign your sales team some specific goals to be attained in a stipulated time. It is pretty much the same case to the other teams in your organization. Ensure that you communicate the set organizational goals clearly to your team so that each employee understands what is expected of them. More importantly, you can engage the team members as you come up with the goals to understand the existing limitations and determine how to overcome them. 

Additionally, it would be best to have a chat through online channels or physically to get the progress reports on your team and their work. Regular updates will tell you whether or not you are on the path to achieving the goals. It will also keep you in the loop in case there are challenges you need to handle.

Tips:

• Be clear: clarity is vital in ensuring that your team understands the message you send to them. A lot of time is wasted when people keep seeking further explanations; that time could be used in executing goals. 
• Communicate only when necessary: there is no point in bombarding your employees with unnecessary information. Remember, the idea is to get the work done efficiently. Save time by engaging them when most needed and allow your team to do the job! 

Equip your teams with the right tools 

You can only make remote collaboration possible by providing your employees with the right tools to do the work. Yes, the best place to start is to deploy proper infrastructure. It would help if you availed tools for video conferencing, chatting, project management and more. These allow the team to have a personal touch with each other and remind them that they are not alone in the job. 

Remember, the goal is to do most projects remotely and let the team collaborate in the same fashion as they would in an office setting. You will also need to invest in corporate secure file sharing to ensure the team can collaborate on work-related files. Remember that remote file transfer comes with risks in cyberspace. Make sure that you invest in tools that protect your data from eavesdroppers and other criminals.  

Tips:

• Do proper training to ensure that your team is familiar with all the tools you are using. 
• Do a cybersecurity awareness training to equip employees with skills sets to protect your business against common cybersecurity threats.

Encourage teamwork 

Working remotely can leave some employees feeling lonely. You can overcome the boredom that comes with working away from the office by encouraging your team members to embrace a culture of working together. For example, assign them some work in groups of two people or more. Just ensure that the team members with similar skills and knowledge work together to complete tasks. It makes the remote work process easier for you! 

Maintain transparency 

When your teams are working remotely, it isn’t easy to know what is happening in the business. If you are not transparent with your team on your organization’s development, it might affect your team. It might lead to low morale, a lack of trust and enthusiasm. The answer is to show them they are part of the business. 

For example, if your team worked hard and you won a major award, make time and invite them over a video call or physically to celebrate together! It makes a huge difference! It is a motivation for the employees to know that their efforts are recognized. 

If there is something that is not going right, it is also crucial to let your employees know. That will lower their expectations and attract practical solutions to move forward. 

Encourage virtual team building activities

You can also come up with creative ideas to lighten up the moods of your employees by throwing in some virtual celebrations once in a while. For example, you can buy and parcel drinks to all your employees and invite them for a video call so that you can drink virtually at the same time. This will also bring the spirit of togetherness and encourage your team members to bond with each other. 

Final word

Transitioning to a remote workplace can be a hassle for any business used to the traditional model. From our discussion, it is quite clear that you will have to invest in proper tools, make some tweaks and get creative to make remote collaboration a success!

@TechmashUK #TechmashUK