How to Increase Collaboration While Working From Home

Remote work becomes more and more popular every year, and in some instances, it’s even essential! Remote opportunities offer both employees and organizations a lot of advantages, but learning to navigate the remote environment can take a little getting used to. Flexible schedules, being away from the office, and all of the other changes in the remote environment mean adjusting perspectives and, most often, learning to work in a new way. In our newest article, we’ll explore a few ways employees can continue to collaborate and communicate together while working remotely.

• Empower Digital Communication

It’s impossible for employees to collaborate if they can communicate easily. Whatever methods or tools you use to keep everyone connected, make sure all employees have a simple and straightforward method of communicating both one on one and as a group collectively. With all of the powerful intranet software available to companies today, organizations can easily keep workers connected through private messaging, news feeds, videos, audio calls, direct messaging and so much more. There’s never been a better time to help employees both work remotely and keep in contact.

• Establish Collaboration Spaces

When employees are all in the office, collaboration can seem pretty simple. Just gather everyone up and get started. But what happens when physically gathering isn’t an option? The answer, simply, is virtual collaboration spaces. With digital platforms designed specifically for group and team collaboration, employees automatically have a set-aside space to gather together, ask questions, post updates, share resources, and perhaps most importantly, collaborate easily.

• Ensure Transparent Management

When employees work remotely, it can be difficult to know what exactly everyone is responsible for and who carries specific assignments. In order for teams to not only collaborate, but also work effectively, everyone needs to be on the same page. Efficient project management tools can significantly simplify this process. With the right tools, project managers can assign tasks and responsibilities to each team member digitally and track their individual progress all within your communication and collaboration platform. This not only helps coworkers and employees know who carries individual responsibilities but also helps everyone report effectively and stay accountable as they work outside of the office.

• Emphasize Leadership Support

Transitioning to remote work takes a little time for even the best employees. And even though it offers a lot of advantages, it will always be different from working in the office. Remote workers need to know that leadership not only understands their new needs but also supports and encourages them in their remote efforts. This is especially important in a situation where only some employees work outside of the office. Without the consideration and care of leadership, remote employees can feel isolated and reluctant to participate fully in collaborative efforts.

Whether you’re gradually transitioning toward remote possibilities or find yourself in an unexpected remote work situation, collaboration is not only still possible, but it can actually be even better than before.