Remote working has increasingly become popular in recent years. This is perhaps because it helps companies to reduce overhead costs and increase overall employees’ productivity.
However, remote working is not without challenges. Communication and workflow issues are likely due to differences in employee schedules and time zones. Additionally, keeping information secure throughout your company can be a challenge.
But there is no reason to worry if you are just starting to work with a remote team. There are plenty of practical ways to encourage collaboration among your remote employees.
Ensure that your team can safely access your company file servers
The biggest concern for employers with remote teams is allowing access to company data and files without compromising the firm’s cybersecurity.
Usually, VPNs are the standard security tools that many organizations employ to enhance internet security when accessing business file servers remotely. However, VPNs can be clumsy and ineffective, leading to high costs of doing business.
Luckily, you can, instead, use simple and secure file server access solutions such as the Triofox remote file server, which are effective, straightforward, and safe. The best thing about file server access solutions is that you do not need to set up VPNs.
Communication
Effective communication is critical in enhancing team collaboration.
Since in-person communication is not possible in remote working, you must ensure that you equip your remote team with effective tools such as Slack and Skype to facilitate communication. It is also critical to ensure that all your employees are well versed in using the various communication tools you choose.
Besides investing in communication tools, ensure that your communication is clear, precise, and well-articulated in simple language. Additionally, encourage your workers to ask questions whenever they feel like something needs clarification.
Stick to a schedule
Having appointments and schedules changed at the last minute can be very disruptive to any employee’s work program and may ultimately affect their productivity.
It is, therefore, important for managers and business owners to keep meetings and other schedules according to plan.
Doing this helps set a good example for the employees on the importance of being on time. It also ensures that your workers’ programs are not disrupted, considering some of them could be in different time zones.
Reinforce the company culture
With your team working remotely, it is crucial to bring the company culture into the new workspace. This helps enhance collaboration and communication between departments, ensuring everyone stays on the same page.
Whether you choose to lead by example, hold virtual meetings, or introduce regular rituals, reinforcing the company culture helps streamline communication and enhance productivity.
Team-building events can also help strengthen relationships and encourage collaboration among remote workers.
Companies are often looking for The Best Escape Rooms that offer a chance for the staff to work together on solving a problem that isn’t work related.
This fun activity can bring your team together and improve their communication and collaboration skills in a relaxed setting. Overall, incorporating company culture into remote work helps create a sense of belonging and boosts team morale.
Meet in person whenever possible
As a remote team leader, it is important to encourage in-person meetings whenever possible. Meeting in person helps remind the team members that there are real people behind the messages, emails, and video calls.
You could ask your team to meet at a coffee shop after work to catch up and socialize.
Organizing team-building activities for your team can also be a great way of getting your team to know each other better, which can be effective in helping promote better work collaboration.
For example, you could organize an outdoor activity like a picnic or plan for a virtual game of trivia. If you’re based in the New York City area, there are lots of activities that you could organize for your team.
From participating in a pizza-making class to taking part in an escape room challenge, there are plenty of fun and interesting team building activities NYC has to offer! Taking part in these activities can help bring the team closer together and also help them build trust.
If in-person interactions are not possible, you can develop innovative ways where your team gets to interact and get in touch with each other’s human side.
Putting it all together
Although remote working offers flexible work arrangements for team members, it remains the number one challenge for most employers in terms of communication, security, and employee retention.
Luckily, having the right tools, processes, policies can help eliminate all the possible challenges.
