How to communicate effectively when working as a remote team!
Whether you’re out in the field or work from home, communication is often one of the greatest challenges when working remotely.
It’s also one of the most important tools in any workplace and even more important when there is limited or no face to face contact and the primary form of communication is written.
Developing a Remote Communications Policy is a great start and should take into consideration:
- How & when the team will communicate
- The best tools to suit the business needs for communicating and collaborating
- Establishing communication guidelines and how they will be documented
- How to keep the team engaged, informed, on track & socially involved in the workplace
As a business, delivering online training in our field, we are very familiar with a remote workforce. From our administration team to our certified auditors to our SME’s, at some point we find ourselves working in different parts of the globe.
- Develop a Remote Communications Policy
- Have daily check ins to keep the team engaged via a chat tool like Slack
- Conduct weekly virtual FYI’s to share knowledge via Zoom
- Have an organised online file sharing system such as Dropbox
- Implement a task and project management system that is online and supports collaboration like Asana
- Say good morning and good-bye & have a play channel on your chat tool for non-work lunch-room chat
Of course, it doesn’t end with having all the technical tools of the trade though. Staying organised and good time management are also extremely important skills when working as part of a remote team.