One of the biggest challenges for a remote team is collaborating effectively. Colleagues who were once able to walk over to each other’s desks for questions or concerns now have to do that over the phone or computer. This becomes even more of an issue when you factor in time zone differences.

With many businesses shifting to a work-from-home setup, the need for effective collaboration is even greater. As more and more interactions happen digitally, teams will continue to experience new forms of misunderstanding and miscommunication which will affect productivity in the long run.

How to collaborate remotely

Even the best leaders need help to encourage collaboration in a remote setting. This post is here to give you ideas on how to make virtual work an empowering experience for you and your team.

Make your objectives and goals clear

You’ll be the one to set the goals and objectives of your team. When you do, see to it that the instructions are clear to them. Remote workers need to know what are expected of them and how they may be productive.

The latest tools are of no use when team members have no idea what they’re supposed to do or where they must be headed. Therefore, conduct regular meetings, be it once a week, just to keep everyone updated on where you are with the project.

Establish lines of communication

In-person communication is rarely possible in a remote work environment so you have to ensure that you contact your members actively. There are plenty of tools available for chatting or video conferencing but you may have to train people to use them.

Most of your working hours are going to be spent on conducting meetings, answering messages, and connecting to people. To save time and build efficiency, follow these guidelines:

• Avoid bombarding them with useless information. Save your time and energy with things that help both parties get work done efficiently.
• Keep everyone on the same page. Make standards that everyone must follow when it comes to communicating, such as leaving progress notes at the end of the day.
• Be clear and precise when sending information. As much as possible, use words or terms that everyone is familiar with whenever you share any information.
• Use the right virtual communication tools. Choose programs or apps that suit your needs and company culture.
• Create an agenda for every meeting. This will help all of the participants to prepare for the meeting better and reduce any unnecessary talk.

Keep a certain level of transparency

One of the primary reasons behind the low enthusiasm, trust, or morale is the lack of transparency. Your company won’t be able to reach its maximum potential unless you share internal and external information with your employees. This is the best way to build a culture of togetherness and trust.

Understand that sharing news with team leaders aren’t always enough. When making an important announcement, conduct short video sessions with the entire team to disclose the information and to answer queries directly. You may also send emails on significant news and developments throughout the day.

Take inventory of their technology

For a productive remote team, technology is necessary. Not everyone has the latest computers or equipment so you need to assist them. Make an online checklist that notes all the software or hardware that they need and ask them to indicate the ones they don’t have access to.

Here are some of the most common things required of a remote worker:

• Task management programs (e.g. Trello)
• Headphones, preferably noise-cancelling
• Remote desktop software (e.g. TeamViewer)
• Password management tool (e.g. LastPass)
• Office suite (e.g. Microsoft Office)
• Video conferencing software (e.g. Zoom)
• Communication tools (e.g. Slack)
• Cloud storage (e.g. Dropbox)

Set high but realistic expectations

Try to manage your expectations as there may be a learning curve to working remotely or to mastering tools. Encourage your team to share any challenges with you so you may help to deal with them. Bear in mind that not all households are optimised for working from home.

All the same, you need to hold every worker accountable for their work. This doesn’t mean that dictating their response times but rather you have to create a culture of engagement, appreciation, and trust. Provide constructive criticism as well as credit for good work.

Be a source of support for your team

This should be a core value that has to flow from you and the rest of the management. There are many factors that may cause a member to lose their morale. It may be that they feel ignored by their peers or it may be that they feel unappreciated by their supervisors.

Make it a point to reach out and maintain open communication lines with everyone reporting to you. Don’t expect everyone to adjust to the remote work culture within a week. Some people need more time to get used to staring into a screen for hours.

Put together a collaborative remote team

With each tip you follow, you bring yourself and your team close to perfection when collaborating. Through the right technology, your output will be above and beyond that of other teams. The major challenge now is how to put together a team that’s capable of effective collaboration.

We at Remote Workmate are connected to professionals who are experienced in working virtually. We only endorse candidates who we believe meet your standards or are capable of fulfilling the needs of your company. All we need is a discussion about your specific requirements in a remote worker.