In today’s modern business world, you might find yourself with a team that is located all over the globe. However, in such a scenario, you cannot expect people to automatically stay in contact with each other as easily as they do when you are located in the same office. Here are some of the ways that you as a team leader can encourage connectivity no matter where that team might be.
Get Everyone on the Same Software
If you want people to interact more, you need to make sure that they all have the same software. Ideally, you want to limit communication to just one channel, so messages are not going to get lost by accident.
While you might decide that you want to keep written messages to just an email system, you should make sure that you have a system that you can all use to make calls. When you work remotely, this can quickly become expensive and difficult to do, but there are a few measures you can take to get around local charges. Using an internet phone like OpenPhone gives your employees the tool that they need without some of the expense that can come from maintaining a landline. Whether they are getting in touch with colleagues or clients, they will be able to do so easily.
Organise Teams
You will no doubt have some type of task management software that will allow you to assign work to your workforce. If you have projects that might bring together employees from different departments, you need to make sure that they have a workspace where they will all be able to connect with each other.
Doing so through your task management portal might be faster than if you were to try to make connections with emails and phone numbers. You need to make sure that introductions are made quickly so that your team is able to get to work quickly. If there are any issues, they will know instantly who they can reach out to for support.
Set Up a Morning Call
Having a quick daily call in the morning can be great for getting remote workers all on the same page. It might be quite in-depth, or it could just be a 5-minute check-in, it is entirely up to you as an employer and team leader.
Not only does it give everyone a small moment to catch up and breathe before their day’s work begins, but it also offers the perfect opportunity for anyone to voice a question or concern they might have. It is often easier to do so on a call than in an email thread as it allows for discussion and participation for all. When your team is released from the call, they should hopefully be in a much better position than before!
Keep Communication Going
It is easier than you might think for someone to end up feeling withdrawn and isolated when working from home. Communication needs to be kept moving forward so they know that support is available if they need it. You can connect to the local network your employees are using online services. You pay a low per-minute rate while your callers pay the normal fee for local calls, which is usually free. As a result of this service provided by websites such as easyringer.com, you will be able to get a local presence and a new number, so you can communicate with them easily and at a great price!
If it feels like you have had a few hours with no one talking to each other in a group chat or an email thread, or you have noticed that someone appears to be less talkative than others, you should try to think up some subtle ways to keep the conversation going. Even if you have a morning call with your team, a small check-in via text or email in the afternoon might be a good way to encourage connectivity.
Add a Fun Element
If your team is working on a particularly stressful project, this might cause them to dig their heels in and lessen their communication as they are more focused on their work. This is when you actually need communication to be at its highest, so it might be a good idea to incorporate a little fun challenge into your group chats. It might be just the thing needed to help your team relax and refocus.
It could be something as simple as everyone sending their favourite gif or bad joke to the chat, or it could be a little more involved. Setting a challenge like taking a selfie with an object that starts with the same letter as their name is quick to do but also allows them to break loose and have a little fun.
When you have a team that is working from many different locations, it can be difficult to maintain those lines of communication. If you are to see productivity and good results on a project, you need to make sure that you are putting good practices in place that will allow it. Find some of the paths that could help to connect your remote team more efficiently!
