Remote work has always been an alternative solution for team members who couldn’t reach the office or weren’t required to be present on-site. However this model has become much more prevalent in recent years.
As businesses today pivot toward online work environments, they also face new challenges. In particular, it’s much harder to build connections between remote workers and those who work in the office. This disconnect can affect work efficiency, communication, and team bonding.
Luckily, new problems give rise to novel solutions. Advances in technology have created a few tools for employers to promote team connectivity. To help you get started, here are the top nine ways to build connections between team members in your organization.
One of the best ways to bridge the connection between your team and business is to ensure that everyone’s communication channels are open and available. After all, many companies nurture a culture of open dialogue and continuous feedback because it improves efficiency and nurtures relationships. This approach is valid both in the office and in remote work environments.
Your team members should be able to raise any concerns and openly ask questions as if you were all in the same physical space. When communication becomes seamless and frequent, everyone will feel more comfortable. Even if working from home, this will help team members gain a greater sense of connection with each other and your business.
Many technological solutions are available to help simplify team communication, including Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. With such tools in place, the entire team will have a mutual communication channel, making file sharing and other business operations more manageable.
Spending the day looking at lines of text and tiny profile pictures on a business communication platform isn’t ideal. However, not everyone will be able to get on a video chat to bridge that gap either.
The most optimal solution might lie somewhere in the middle. Rather than relying on text communication or suffering from connectivity issues with webcams and video streaming, your team members could jump on a phone call.
When it comes to phone communication, we recommend setting up a virtual phone system or, as it’s often called, voice over internet protocol (VoIP).
Virtual phones are particularly well-suited for the online environment. A VoIP service doesn’t require a landline or rely on mobile networks. Instead, the system works through the internet. As long as your team members have access to a stable internet connection, they can use a virtual phone. And, thankfully, broadband internet is pretty standard these days.
VoIP has the advantage of keeping everyone available even when they’re on the go. Your coworkers can leave their home workspaces and stay connected. Also, several team members can connect at once through VoIP conference calls.
In addition to team connectivity, virtual phones can improve work efficiency. These services make data sharing, fax transmissions, and other functionalities more accessible.
Flexibility and autonomous work are staples of remote jobs. However, not all organizations can smoothly transition to these modern work environments. If a company resists adopting a more flexible work structure, it can lead to strained relationships and increase team disconnect.
As team members work from home, leaders need to adapt their management approach. This includes embracing new ways of coaching, monitoring performance, holding meetings, and communicating with the team.
All company managers should participate in training to learn how to implement these changes. By embracing a remote management style, you can maintain flexibility and reduce micromanagement. Managers will also have fewer issues when building connections among team members if they have the right tools. As a result, the entire organization will develop a culture that promotes work effectiveness and a sense of belonging.
A shift to remote work requires extensive change at all company levels, including the organization’s vision and mission statement. While most businesses have a clearly defined purpose, significant market disruptions can turn old notions upside-down. And that's precisely what has happened with many companies since 2020.
While certain businesses managed to realign their goals, many focused on surviving in this new virtual landscape.
Of course, company survival is an understandable goal. However, it’s also short-term and lacks the meaning behind a true vision. It’s no surprise that team members can’t feel a greater connection to an organization that holds that goal for too long.
Instead, it’s paramount to either strengthen the original vision for your company or adjust it to better match the new situation. Many larger corporate entities have narrowed their goals from enterprise-level to more individual needs. For example, keeping customers and employees safe while ensuring the lights stay on would be a perfectly viable goal.
If your company has a vision that your team can relate to, it will create a much stronger bond compared to a business that clings to outdated goals or exists merely to survive.
Whether online or in-person, honest and constructive feedback is a sure way to build a tight-knit company culture.
The difference between remote and in-person work is that the feedback you give online must be intentional. Some things can be implied or go without saying in the office. After all, coworkers get attuned to communication when they share the same workspace. But when you’re communicating with your team remotely, you must ensure they receive your feedback regularly.
Open and honest feedback will be the most helpful. If you keep interaction constructive and open to further discussion, you and your team can quickly identify issues and introduce improvements.
Providing regular feedback will also let your team know that you see their contributions. You can clarify expectations and reinforce specific performance benchmarks. As a result, your team members won’t get an unpleasant surprise if they receive a negative remark.
The conditions of remote and in-office work are very different. In a traditional organization, policies tend to be strict and lack flexibility. But that approach can’t be applied to teams working remotely.
When the work environment transfers online, employees’ expectations, needs, and priorities change. In those circumstances, team members expect a different kind of support and more adaptive business operations.
Maintaining traditional policies while working remotely can be frustrating and entirely unnecessary. For example, adhering to a strict work schedule is, in many cases, counterproductive. Your scheduling should be flexible and depend more on project deadlines.
Similarly, you shouldn’t measure employee performance on how much time they spend working. Instead, the primary metric should be reaching specific work goals.
When it comes to work tools, many businesses that operate entirely on-site provide everything their employees need for work in the office. Unfortunately, some organizations fail to introduce policies that offer the same tools to remote workers.
It’s crucial to have support available for team members who need to set up their home office. That support not only allows your employees to keep doing their job but will give them a sense of belonging and a more profound connection to your company.
Unsurprisingly, team members who share experiences can stay connected even when working remotely.
If you want to build and emphasize involvement among team members, it’s best to start from the company itself. You can easily develop ways to support and motivate your team rather than leave it to your employees. This could include integrating platforms for sharing positive messages, playing games, or discussing team members’ interests. The company can then get involved with those channels by adding news and updates.
Shared experiences can make the online work environment friendlier and livelier. It should be a space where your team wants to spend time rather than a place they grudgingly gather for work.
On a similar note, team building can still occur without face-to-face contact. It won’t be as straightforward to organize online, but a touch of creativity can help. You can create various fun activities to engage your team members, including movie nights, book clubs, quizzes, trivia competitions, and even fitness challenges.
With some effort, it's possible to build a happy work environment that will boost engagement and create stronger bonds. And those aren't the only aspects of your workspace that will improve. Socialization among coworkers is a proven way to increase performance. According to a study, 15 minutes of hanging out and chatting created a performance increase of 20%.
It’s vital to keep supporting your employees’ needs regardless of their work environment.
Even if communication reduces in frequency, listening to your team members is essential. You’ll want to hear what your employees say about how they feel working in these new conditions.
Pay attention to whether your team members feel like they’re being productive. Ask them if they’re receiving all the support they need. Also, find out if they see their impact on your company’s mission.
The answers you hear could provide valuable insight. You might want to get certain team members more involved or offer more support and recognition for their contribution.
Once you have the feedback, you can make the necessary adjustments. This will help you stay in touch with the human side of remote work and prevent your employees from becoming “out of sight, out of mind.”
It’s important to focus on how you’re conducting your online meetings. Every private conference should start by clearly outlining your employees’ goals with honesty and credibility.
A one-on-one is an excellent opportunity to ask your employees about their progress and show interest in what they’re doing. Make sure you show up to these meetings on time and are ready to help your team members as promised.
It’s always a good idea to work on communication and building stronger bonds between team members. You can create an atmosphere that gives people a sense of security and belonging.
If you manage to engage your team members and bring them closer together, every aspect of your organization will improve, including business results and employee satisfaction.
If you want to ensure your team always has unlimited access to a reliable communication channel, a VoIP service is the best option. At Telephono, we can provide you with a seamless virtual phone service to connect your team members and ensure a quality communication line for your organization. If you’d like to see our service at work, feel free to sign up for our free trial.
Copyright 2021 Business Phone. All Rights Reserved.