The new normal is witnessing a greater shift to fluid workspaces and remote working teams across the globe. While things are changing and still in process, a lot will inevitably get lost in translation – costing companies time, money, and employee morale unless teams are managed proactively.
Harvard Business Review article “When Teamwork Is Good for Employees — and When It Isn’t” emphasizes that,
‘The main barriers to team performance were poor relations between managers and employees, which caused constant disputes and made employees feel more stressed at work.’
Among the many reasons for miscommunication are poor team dynamics, lack of accountability and transparency, and inadequate collaboration systems.
But all is not lost; here, we give you brief and actionable insights into resolving your team’s communication challenges.
Why is Good Communication Essential with Remote Teams?
Unsurprisingly, poor communication can cause your team to waste time and resources, seem foolish, and become frustrated. Effective communication, on the other hand, improves positivity, organization, and workplace morale. Open channels of communication foster trust and proactive working habits, which improve everyone’s performance and outcomes.
Let’s see why you need to streamline communication within your organization while working with remote teams.
1. Miscommunication can Affect Team Dynamics
Hold regular team meetings aside from work-related calls where members can share their ideas, develop a rapport and give feedback. Informal discussions help pent-up vent thoughts and relieve strained relationships.
Be mindful of work-life balance, offer flexible online meeting sessions, and pre-recorded content to be shared later, and encourage innovative ideas to do mundane things. You can increase engagement and commitment and prevent miscommunication by listening to and implementing employees’ suggestions.
2. Lack of Accountability and Transparency
When delegating tasks, making requests, or even appreciating good performance, leave the guesswork out of the picture. Diligently answering “Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How” will establish boundaries and clarify expectations and roles for each team member. This is essential for virtual teams and remote workers who may not have immediate or direct access to their managers and other team members.
Feedback often causes more damage than improvement when the message is received as being biased or based on incorrect information. This is true for criticism, and praise is given to team members where there are underlying areas of conflict or mistrust.
To manage shared responsibilities and give credit where due, it is important to have an objective and updated information-sharing system. TeamingWay provides a flawless goal-tracking and completion system where individual contributions are visible and accomplishments are updated in real-time.
3. Communication Systems Lack a Flow
The struggle to streamline work is real when juggling the laptop, cell phone, and online meetings. This is further heightened when clients use different messaging and project management tools. And you need to catch up with the next software installed on your computer.
Not all project management tools have been created equal. And choosing the right fit can save your organization valuable time and money and your employees from miscommunication issues.
TeamingWay provides a one-stop solution to your project and team management needs. With a single sign-in, you can manage your tasks, work with your colleagues and partners on ongoing projects, and track progress on your goals and milestones. Sharing responsibility and achieving common goals could not have been made easier.
4. Leaving Essentials Behind
You may save time by only communicating the essential information with your staff, but this leaves you open to two possibilities. First, observant coworkers could stop you by raising issues you could have addressed earlier.
Second, less diligent workers could push through but produce less accurate work. In any case, there is a chance that workplace misunderstanding may increase.
So, always provide your staff with all the information they require upfront to ensure the greatest results and reduce time spent making changes.
5. Lack of Trust
Trust develops over time, just like team unity. But since they don’t frequently contact in person, remote workers often find it tougher to trust their team members and superiors.
When workplace disputes aren’t properly resolved, it’s another primary reason why people lack trust. If conflicts are not recognized and resolved right away, they can result in communication barriers.
Being open and accessible to your team serves as the finest substitute for the phrase “my door is always open” in virtual contexts. This entails being reachable and capable of responding after receiving a message in a reasonable amount of time, whether through chat or call.
If you have numerous teams working round-the-clock, HR managers may need to assign this task to other employees. However, remote employees must have a contact they can turn to with inquiries.
6. Feelings of Alienation
When working in mixed teams, or teams comprising both remote and in-office workers, remote workers may feel alienated. According to a survey by Igloo Software, 70% of remote workers experience this, and inside jokes and references to office-related happenings might worsen these feelings.
Encourage managers and team members to have more casual conversations. If remote workers can relax and chat casually with their colleagues, they will feel included. Have them communicate informally using a different chat channel, such as Slack or Google Hangouts. Additionally, you want to ensure that everyone has the same project collaboration tool so that nobody feels excluded.
Use & Supply the Right Tech & Tools
If you require your staff to operate remotely, it is advantageous to support them. Wherever possible, offer your team solutions that will improve their chances of success.
Those with little funds can find this difficult. You might not be able to provide each employee with a brand-new laptop, set of headphones, or another piece of technology. However, even minor changes could have a significant positive impact on communication. By using remote collaboration tools like Teamingway or unifying all communications through a single interface, efficiency is significantly boosted. Misunderstandings and communication issues are less likely.
Bottom line
One right tool or Collaboration software can destroy all the barriers hindering your company’s success. Besides, if your team is satisfied, this is your way toward growth. So, choose your TeamingWay plan today and get started with the solutions to solve all of your communication problems in the remote working environment.
