6 Ways to Boost Communication in a Remote Work Condition

Since you’re here reading this, chances are you have been managing a remote team. Working from home – What was once thought to be impossible has now become possible. The 40-hour workweek has been transformed into a digital format.

The perks of going remote have been undeniable for both employers and employees. But it has some challenges one of which is how can you assure steady communication and ensure everyone’s on the same page?

1: Be Responsive

In a remote environment, you must be extra careful when it comes to being responsive. You and your team are not physically there. They can’t walk to your office to get a response. To make the operations go smoothly, you gotta be quick in response just like support agents when you dial the Spectrum phone number!

Responding to internal messages in a timely manner not just keeps the workflow running but also improves corporate connections, adds to a workplace culture that values respect, and exhibits outstanding time management skills. Managers and staff that are receptive to organizational communications must continue to be responsive to customers and investors outside of the organization to keep the operations running smoothly.

2: Organize Mandatory Weekly Virtual Meetings

A weekly meeting can help give employees some direction while they are completing their daily KPIs.

Managers can enforce the position their team plays in the business by repeating it each week at the outset of each department meeting. This helps keep their team focused on what’s essential and helps them prioritize to match with the company’s direction. Repetition is essential for maintaining communication and aligning on the company’s direction.

3: Create Rules for Meetings

Meetings, depending on the size of your team, can be stressful and counterproductive, especially if they are used as the primary method of information delivery. Evaluate and fine-tune meeting best practices to ensure they are productive. Here are some rules to make meetings quick and less stressful for everyone:

• Is the meeting necessary, or could the information be conveyed more via an email, newsletter, or memo?
• Who is absolutely necessary to attend the meeting vs. who can go?
• Is the agenda for the meeting available in advance?
• What are the goals of the meeting?
• Who will write down, share, and archive the highlights of the meeting?

4: Set a Virtual Water Cooler

When there are various ways to interact, such as video, instant messaging, and, of course, email connectivity, communication can be improved. These channels should allow for both organized team meetings and updates with each member reporting out, as well as unstructured gatherings that allow each member to adequately share on other non-business-related topics. Consider creating a virtual water cooler session where everyone can share their experience, do small talk, or whatever.

5: Create a Feedback Loop

It can be difficult to communicate and keep with everyone’s schedule across a remote team, especially if employees are working in various time zones. That is why it is critical to have a feedback culture that is constant.

To keep things running smoothly and to ensure employee satisfaction, managers should ask their remote teams to give their feedback on a regular basis to learn how to best support them, identify areas of potential conflict or friction, create trusting relationships, and improve performance. This is the best way to identify and resolve roadblocks.

6: Use an Internal Messaging Tool

If you don’t have an internal messaging system in place yet, now is a good moment to start. The short talks you’re accustomed to having in person must continue to take place but through a new medium.

You can move those discussions to email but nobody likes an inbox brimming with emails, right! It’s wise to use a messaging app like Skype, Teams, or WhatsApp for communication or any other that’s the right fit for your team.

Employees can interact quickly and efficiently using a messaging system without putting an additional burden on their inboxes. Once employees see how simple it is to use, it may even lead to greater communication.

Conclusion

Maintaining communication in remote firms boils down to having the necessary tools and processes in place to ensure that information is flowing across the organization and that everyone is aware of the company’s goals and can cooperate to solve challenges.