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Processes

Optimizing Remote Team Communication

Now more than ever, the world has begun to embrace the concept of remote work. According to a report by Owl Labs, over 16% of global companies are now fully remote. A 2021 survey by UpWork reported that over 36 million Americans will work remotely by 2025. While remote work could potentially revolutionize the American workforce, communication poses a challenge in many remote teams.

According to a report by PWC, communication is key to the success of most remote teams. Yet, a 2020 Springer study reported that communication issues top the list of challenges within remote teams. Essentially, prioritizing remote team communication is a task that every company should take seriously. Here are tips on how to do so:

  • 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.

Conclusion

Remote work is here to stay. As more companies seek a transition from physical to remote work, the need to ensure seamless communication will become crucial. This is why organizations must swiftly adopt tips to ensure that their teams easily adjust to the communication dynamics of remote work.

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