Working remotely could leave you and your team feeling isolated…
Working remotely could leave to your employees feeling of isolated from each other. This could potentially have a negative effect on your mental wellbeing and productivity levels of your team.
Building relationships, maintaining connections with your team so that they remain productive, while working from home is thus important.
Today, we share 6 TIPS with you that you can use to stay connected as a team, while working remotely.
What can you do?
You can create employees connection by utilizing online meeting platforms or chat groups for informal video calls to help foster relationships, through ice breakers for example. The first: Time box each task that is doing, decide how long something will take and dedicate to working on it that time.
Also use time trackers or alarms to help keep on track, so you know when to focus on what and to help you prevent people from scheduling meetings at that time when you are focused.
1. Spontaneous connection
The office environment is full of natural micro interactions. For example, those short informal chats held while you have your lunch break or while making coffee or picking up your report at the communal photo copier. These types of conversations although informal, could be a means of building relationships over time at the office.
Working from home on the other hand, means that you miss out on these spontaneous connections that spark informally, when you are face to face.
2. Build in accountability
Weekly or monthly operations meetings could be held to discuss the planned work activities and progress made to date. Digital work activity boards can also be used for the team to update daily on progress made daily, so that each team member is kept up to speed with the team’s activities and it is also a way of keeping the each other accountable for their assigned work.
3. Provide working remotely training
Training can give your employees the tools and skills they need to succeed, in a remote environment, while they are still in the in- person, face to face environment they are familiar with. This could cover for example, the company’s remote working policy and expectations of employees, digital communication tools and how to run effective online meetings as a start.
4. Provide working equipment
For your employees, to provide quality or produce quality and be productive, they need to have good working equipment. This includes while working at home. Having the right equipment can boost their productivity. It is important to assess the needs of your employees and address this in your company’s remote working policy.
5. Plan company retreats and team building
Getting together in person periodically, to discuss the progress of the project or assigned tasks could help strengthen the team relationships.
Organise in person team building activities, so that employees have a chance to have informal conversations and foster relationships when they are together.
6. Invite colleagues to participate
It can be very challenging for colleagues that are introverts to participate in-group meetings, even in a virtual environment. Team leads can overcome this by directly asking these participants for their input. It is also be aware of the participants’ expressions in a meeting and their body language.
Working remotely can really affect the productivity of your team, when there is a lack of communication, encouragement or support. We trust that these tips will help you.
Good luck!
