The emergence of online internal collaboration tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom have exponentially become more popular throughout the past year. While the primary use cases of these software programs themselves may be quick to learn, like anything, to gain a competitive advantage, considered strategies must be well thought out and implemented correctly to achieve the most out of these technologies.
Regardless of your industry and company mission statement, the only question which should drive any online collaboration initiative should be, “how can I use this platform to help my team perform their jobs better?” This approach might sound relatively straightforward; however, many companies approach collaboration tools with the sole intentions of increasing revenue for the company and increased visibility on employee behaviours and output.
Below are a few software collaboration initiatives that will help improve productivity and collaboration between your employees, especially if you have adopted flexible working arrangements.
Reconsider what successful communication looks like
When your team cannot work in one location, a change in perspective needs to occur to determine how successful communication is measured. Whether it means a shift in the cadence of calls between team members or increased transparency regarding current tasks in progress, remaining productive when working remotely requires a set of clearly defined expectations that your team follows and has been a part of establishing.
Prioritise communication when working on projects
When working remotely, gone is the ease of simply walking over to a colleague and asking them to clarify something or get their help on a problem. Due to decreased visibility over everyone’s day to day tasks, setting up meeting times and communication channels to discuss a specific document or project is paramount to ensuring no vital information is missed and daily communication remains as seamless as possible.
Make room for socialising
One of the benefits of being in the office with your co-workers is the sense of feeling connected and building personal relationships. Unfortunately, your employees can quickly and easily lose these positive feelings if everyone is working remotely. Take some time to leave room for socialising before or after scheduled meetings by setting up channels and chats to catch up. The more connected your team feels, the greater the level of trust and output.
When working remotely, use your collaboration tools to establish clear communication channels that are team, project and task aligned
Managing projects in person and at the best of times can prove to be a significant challenge. It’s best to avoid assigning employees working remotely onto multiple projects to reduce the risk of uncertainty and missing deadlines. If you need various team members across multiple projects, ensure that you establish collaboration and meeting times to discuss specific projects, with clear deliverables communicated and ample time provided to complete assigned tasks.
A business-first approach is not recommended. This approach often is met with resistance from employees as the new collaboration tool has not made it easier for them to improve their job functions and is just another new process to learn and follow. By implementing the above initiatives as a start, you will begin to realise how seamless and stress free collaborating and wokring remotely can be within a team and organisation.