The Coronavirus emergency has led many workers to collaborate remotely.
Video calls, chats, and webinars are some things we have become accustomed to by now. What has failed, among other things, are the daily moments of confrontation and sharing that we were used to taking part in with colleagues and that were spontaneously created during coffee breaks or in the corridors.
The amount of virtual interaction we experienced over the last 18 months has forced everyone to adapt and change their communicative approach. With the advent of a hybrid work model, managers and HRs will have to face a new challenge: maintain good communication amongst remote workers and, at the same time, their sense of belonging to the company.
The good news is that some preventative actions and strategies can be put in place for managers to lead remote teams and help them communicate effectively with each other.
Here are some practical tips that managers can follow to improve communication with colleagues and their remote teams:
Constructive feedback. Giving feedback to the people who work with you is the best way to strengthen relationships. Constructive feedback is also a great source of motivation. Constructive feedback allows people to improve and undoubtedly affects their morale. When working remotely, we cannot overshadow the culture of feedback.
Transparency is key. It’s fundamental to maintain an open dialogue with managers and colleagues. By scheduling regular meetings with your employees, you can encourage them to share doubts, difficulties and ask for help when needed. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable to ask questions helps to nurture an open corporate culture. It also helps to build a successful and strong team and to improve the relationship between colleagues.
The world of work today is technology-driven. It is necessary to invest in tech tools that facilitate communication and collaboration, but we also need to use them properly and fully exploit their potential. But it is equally important to choose the right tools, which fit the corporate culture. Also, if your employees use different tools to connect, it becomes difficult to communicate effectively. Make sure that, for example, if you choose Zoom for video conferencing and Slack for chat, the whole team is informed and uses the same tools.
Create moments of exchange on non-work-related topics. As we said previously, the opportunities to dedicate to informal moments have significantly decreased, but this does not mean that we cannot spend time socializing to share common interests and make ourselves known beyond work. Find ways to encourage non-work-related conversations among your team members. For example, at the beginning of a meeting, ask them to tell you what they did over the weekend or ask about their hobbies and passions.
Turn on your webcam. For many teams, working in the same office and meeting face-to-face is not an option. Turning on the webcam during a meeting can help to build connections and create a friendlier atmosphere amongst colleagues. Video calls work better than conference calls as you can show your attention to the speaker. Non-verbal communication helps to interpret, verify understanding, and to reinforce the contents expressed. Our interlocutors will better assimilate the information we are transmitting to them
In short, even if we have been working remotely for some time now, feeling part of a team is fundamental and is an essential element to creating a work environment in which motivation and involvement can grow.
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