Remote Teamwork: How to Productively Work Together When You’re Not Together

With the COVID-19 pandemic, one finds that most companies have accelerated the adoption of a hybrid work model allowing staff to mix working in-office and to work remotely. This allows much more freedom to staff but could affect the company’s culture and employee’s productivity.

Below we will discuss some of the biggest challenges to productivity that remote teams encounter and strategies you can use to overcome these obstacles.

Remote Teamwork Is More Important Than Ever in the COVID-19 Pandemic

 The use of Chat and video conferencing apps have helped maintain office relationships throughout the pandemic. Remote teamwork offers an efficient structure where employees can virtually meet with their colleagues or clients to discuss important matters without putting themselves at risk to get infected as well as reducing costs for travel.

Maximize Productivity with These 8 Remote Team-Building Strategies

To ensure high productivity and growth while working remotely, there are a few challenges that you need to overcome, here are a few and how to deal with them to promote a better working environment.

1. Prioritize face-to-face interactions
   Some employees are going to miss face-to-face interaction when working remotely, whether it was the ability to quickly walk past a colleague’s desk to ask them a question or to be able to have a quick chat over a coffee break. The sudden separation from your team can be challenging at first. Our advice is to try and make use of videoconferencing as much as possible, as this is the closest option to direct contact available.
2. Establish remote workplace norms
   By setting up weekly video meetings, you will be able to stay on top of important developments that takes place within the company. It helps each employee to touch base with team members about various important projects as well as sustain healthy working relationships.
3. Employ collaborative tools
   A well-functioning workplace always makes use of team collaboration. When your staff are working remotely this can be more difficult to achieve but the good news is many already make use of collaborative tools such as Google’s G Suite. These collaborative tools can create a well-functioning workspace and encourage team collaborations between departments
4. Establish goals that incorporate the whole team
   Working well as a team will always deliver a higher quality product, make use of project management programs such as Asana, Jira or Monday.com. These will help you and your team track various projects and keep deadlines.
5. Set deadlines for team goals

A deadline makes a goal less abstract and keeps staff motivated, while adding a sense of extra satisfaction should a goal be met ahead of schedule.

6. Develop a process of accountability
   Ensuring your team accepts accountability for their work is vital. Managers should keep track of their team members projects to ensure the deadlines are being met. Develop a system that suits you best such as midweek check-in or end-of-the-week video calls, either way, implement what works best and ensure everyone sticks to it.
7. Don’t leave any team members out
   As a manager ensure you are in contact with every team member, this will ensure that no balls get dropped and give your team the feeling of being supported by you.

 

All people depend on face-to-face interactions, humans are social creatures and it’s a key part of modern society. Remote working may remove some elements of this, but modern technology has given us the tools to deal with this – unlike ever before in human history.

Written by CA Financial Appointments – Identifying Exceptional Financial Talent