If you are looking for ways to stay connected with your team while working remotely, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will share with you some of the best ways to stay connected with your team even if you’re all working from home. Remote working offers much more flexibility and freedom to your employees, but it also poses some technical challenges.
By following these tips, however, you can be sure that you will be able to effectively collaborate with your team and stay connected even when you are not in the same physical location.
Utilise Technology
We’re lucky that we live in a world full of incredible technology. Not only can we talk to people on the other side of the world, but we can also see their faces, all thanks to modern tech.
Make sure everyone is connected to the internet
It’s important to make sure that all of your team has a decent internet connection so they can work efficiently at home and stay connected with you.
Anyone living in a rural area might want to consider using starlink internet which is a satellite internet provider using an array of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites that have speeds similar to ground-based internet. This is perfect for rural areas where choice is limited.
Stay Organised and efficient
There are a number of great tools available that can help you stay organized and efficient when working from home. Apart from the obvious chat technologies like Zoom and Skype, there’s also plenty of software to help manage the more challenging sides of the business.
For example, we are big fans of Profit’s OKR software which helps to monitor goals and help everyone to stay on track. It’s easy to lose track of what everyone is up to when you’re not in the same room as everyone else, but with OKR software, it’s much easier to keep up to date on employee targets and give constructive feedback.
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Communication
When working from home, there’s no such thing as over-communication. It can be useful to keep your team members updated on what is going on and what is expected of them at all times.
The best way to do this is through group messages (gone are the days of emails, everyone hated them anyway) or group calls (admittedly, everyone hates these too).
Use group messages to let everyone know what everyone is doing for the day, and to make everyone aware of any updates or changes that are being made.
Remember, however, that over-communication doesn’t mean you have a free pass to nag. It just means your messages should be crystal clear and fully clarified.
Check-In Regularly
Leading on from communication, checking in with your team regularly is also a great way to stay connected while working remotely. This means sending personal messages to your team members and staying interested in their lives.
Think of it as office small talk, without the office. This will help everyone feel noticed and keep the mood light.
Additionally, set up regular formal one-on-one sessions to stay caught up on everyone’s progress and address any issues that may arise. This is also a good opportunity to check in on mental health, physical health and other things a good manager would normally be looking out for in a physical office.
Foster Transparency
In order to stay connected with your team, it is also important to foster a culture of transparency. This means being open and honest with your team members about what is going on, both good and bad. This will help everyone feel like they are a part of the team and invested in its success.
Transparency also means there should be no secret group chats, online bullying, harassment, discrimination or nasty jibes at people when they’ve made a mistake.
Remember, if you were in an office, you wouldn’t accept any of these things, so it’s no different at home. If you’re not sure what to do in a certain situation, consider what you would do in a physical office.
If someone accidentally deleted an important file, you wouldn’t stand up at your desk and publicly shame them. The same applies when working remotely – nothing should be said that may put anyone in an embarrassing position. This helps to remove toxicity and makes everyone feel like they can be open.
Wrapping Up
By following the tips outlined in this article, you can be sure that you will create a smooth and effective workflow, no matter where you are located. It’s now easier than ever to work from home, and with the help of these tips, you should find that any folds can quickly and easily be ironed out.
