How to improve remote communication in a dispersed team?
The accelerated development of remote work has caused quite a stir in internal communications departments around the world. This area, along with HR, had to adapt to the new reality the fastest, which often affected the quality of operations. Today, organizations are much better at managing remote communications, but there is still a lot of work to be done here.
Challenges of remote communication
Building a virtual corporate culture is a long-term process and requires not only the use of advanced technologies but also changes in the way work is organized and teams are managed. Challenges such as employees’ sense of isolation, low commitment, and difficulties in information flow or time management are well-known to distributed teams. So how do we improve remote communications so that they become an ally in managing distributed teams and supporting leaders and employees?
How to improve remote communication in a distributed team?
Effective remote communication helps achieve business goals faster and drives a better bottom line for companies. Here are 6 practical tips for distributed team members to communicate more effectively and strengthen relationships, and for leaders to build a safe, effective, and friendly work environment.
1. The right tools for remote communication
Digital tools are the bridge that connects distributed employees to collaborate, share information, and manage projects remotely. Therefore, their selection cannot be random. The key moments in this process are to define the needs of employees and the organization, and in the post-implementation period to teach them to use the capabilities of the implemented solutions to their full potential. It is worth considering first and foremost the choice of EX platforms, as they are the most comprehensive tools for remote communication on the market, and also allow integration with other systems and applications in the organization.
2. Principles of communication
Communication in remote teams requires more precise rules than communication in desktop teams. They can be set top-down for the entire organization or specific teams. It is worthwhile for the rules to be developed in consultation with employees and to take into account, in particular:
– hours or availability policies,
– response times to messages or communications sent within and outside of teams,
– priorities for remote communications (what messages the team should respond to first) and how to set them,
– rules for online meetings.
Such guidelines help avoid confusion and miscommunication and ensure consistency of effort and greater efficiency.
3. Regular online meetings
Frequent online meetings with remote teams help build relationships, bonds, and mutual trust among team members and facilitate the flow of important information. It’s also an important factor in fostering a sense of belonging to the company. It is worthwhile during such meetings:
– Introduce a rule of cameras-on to maintain eye contact and thus better communication.
– Always have a meeting agenda prepared that includes casual “small talk.”
– Keep the format as short as possible.
– Engage participants to actively participate, ask questions, and express their opinions.
– Make a recording of the meeting available to absent team members.
– Stick to the agenda and meeting time.
4. Active listening and empathy
Modern leadership patterns require leaders to put people and their needs at the center of all business activities. Achieving goals becomes, so to speak, a “by-product” of an empathetic approach to the employee and a proper understanding of his needs. This is especially important in remote communication, where some non-verbal signals may be masked or unreachable by the interlocutor. In such an environment, it is important to develop listening skills among leaders and team members through training, regular meetings, or empathetic, sincere feedback and appreciation.
5. Develop written communication skills
Remote communication is largely written communication. Clear and precise expression of thoughts helps avoid misunderstandings and builds effective cooperation. It is worth supporting employees in developing this competence by paying attention to the following:
– Conciseness of speech
– Attention to precision
– Avoidance of errors
– Clarity of text through formatting (points, bold, italics, etc.)
6. Managing conflict at a distance
There is no shortage of challenges in managing distributed teams, but one of the most serious is the risk of conflict, resulting from unstated goals, poor information flow, cultural differences, lack of remote communication rules, or misinterpretation of the message. The risk of conflict in the workplace diminishes under the guidance of a good leader who promotes open communication, balanced feedback, joint problem-solving, and rule-setting, and fosters the building of collegial relationships.
How does Workai support remote communication?
Effective management of remote communication relies heavily on digital tools whose task is not limited to sending top-down messages. Such Workai tools connect people and shape their digital experiences. Workai is a comprehensive platform that makes the remote work environment a friendly, inclusive, and secure place. This is due to:
– Integration of different communication channels – all in one intuitive tool.
– The ability to collaborate in real-time, whether on projects or daily tasks. Workai enables discussions, file sharing, access to a knowledge base, and a search engine for documents, audio, and video content or contacts.
– Integration with other tools (such as popular video conferencing platforms)
– A notification and alert system to keep remote workers updated with important news, tasks, and events.
– A personalized interface that engages employees even more effectively in remote communications and allows them to get the information they need faster.
Without implementing the right solutions and engaging leaders, remote communication can be a challenge. Failure to be effective in this area breeds serious consequences, including loss of employee trust and commitment, and thus an exodus of talent, reduced productivity, and decreased competitiveness. The answer to the challenges lies in developing strong leadership, implementing the above solutions, and investing wisely in the right tools.