We’ve discussed the benefits of working from home, but one problem that may arise is maintaining good communication.
When you’re no longer working in the same building as your coworkers, sometimes sharing information can get challenging. As small businesses increasingly rely on technology and remote working, it is important to find ways to be more connected with coworkers.
Here are three ways to strengthen connection between remote coworkers:
Ensure pertinent people are kept in the loop
In all workplaces, often two people may discuss something one-on-one that needs to be shared with a group. Traditionally, in non remote working situations, if two coworkers talked about a project in a conference room, it wouldn’t be difficult to walk down the hall and share that information with whoever may need to be included. Now, if you video conference a coworker, you’ve got to make sure that you’re immediately sharing any important information with your team. If you’re emailing back and forth, you’ll have to remember to “reply all” so that everyone has the relevant details for a client or project. Even creating group chats that are meant to service specific clients or work on specific tasks can help create a more connected environment. These are small steps toward creating better communication if you’re sharing information over various platforms.
Organize communication streams
With various modes of communication, including email and instant messaging applications, it isn’t difficult for information to get lost through the channels even while following the advice previously given. It isn’t uncommon for employees to have different group chats, email chains, or document notes that have various bits of information about a client or a project that should be contained in one area. When important details are floating around different communication platforms, often mistakes can be made. Perhaps a coworker miscalculates a total for the client or calls the client asking for information that the firm already had; these are just small missteps, but continual hiccups add up to sloppy services and unhappy clientele. Avoid the headache and streamline communication. Find a specific platform or method to communicate so that information doesn’t get lost and work can run as smoothly as possible.
Schedule regular meetings
Since you’re working remotely, it is increasingly important to schedule regular meetings to check in, whether the meetings are one-on-one or group sessions. These meetings allow team members to share information with one another that might be missed in the daily grind. Not only can information be shared with coworkers, but regular video or phone conference calls allow for remote workers to feel as if they are part of a team. Communicating through written text only builds a community up so much, so make sure that your teams work together to strengthen your connection and provide better service to your customers with regularly scheduled meetings.
Working remotely has many benefits, but one of the drawbacks of working from home is that it is difficult to feel connected to your coworkers. To strengthen the community within your remote workplace, remember to keep your coworkers in the loop with important information to make sure that everyone can complete a project or serve the client well. Consider organizing communication streams to ensure that information is readily available to all parties, and try to schedule regular meetings to update teams and create a community despite distance. With these three tips, connection doesn’t have to be sacrificed by working from home.
Interested in learning more about remote working? Find out about the benefits.