Optimizing Remote Team Communication

Processes

Invest in High-End Communication Tools

Whether for work meetings or mere task collaborations, communication tools are the life-blood of a remote team. Investing in efficient video conferencing tools like Zoom could ease the process of holding virtual meetings. To cater to time-zone barriers, you could equally invest in video recording tools. This would ensure that other team members can quickly access meeting recordings even when their time zone does not favour meeting attendance. For other tasks, platforms that enhance work collaboration should be prioritized. For example, a platform like Slack provides features like team chat and private messages. These features boost communication by ensuring that team members can contribute effectively to group tasks and equally air their concerns privately.

Regularly Organise Team-bonding Sessions

While this tip is highly dependent on your company's culture, it is equally important. There are tendencies that team members will rarely engage in social interactions with remote work. Often, fellow team members begin to take the position of mere bots with whom they collaborate. Team-bonding sessions help remove this barrier by ensuring that employees connect. This semblance of human-to-human interaction could reduce communication barriers in your remote team.

Create a Culture of Inclusiveness

One of the primary drivers of communication issues stems from the feeling of being left out. There are tendencies that junior employees might feel reluctant to contribute to tasks or group discussions. This could undermine communication in your team. To create a culture of inclusiveness, prioritize adopting an open-door policy where your company's top executives actively encourage contributions from junior staff. Most importantly, these contributions should be taken seriously. Another avenue to boost a culture of inclusiveness is conducting a communication feedback survey. This will help you discover if your company is on the right track with communication.