This is Jane Courtnell, Process Street’s guest author.
January 2020, I was in the minority.
I was joined by many workers who were transitioning to a work-from home lifestyle by March.
The COVID pandemic only continued an already existing trend. The number of WFH employees has increased by 173% since 2005. It is expected that 73% of all departments by 2028 will have remote workers.
It can be difficult to move from the 9-5 office grind to a more relaxed and flexible work environment. This is especially true if you manage your own projects or team.
There is always a solution to any problem, and you’ve come to the right place to find it.
This article will cover 5 top tips and tricks to communicate well with remote teams and keep them together for a successful project. These tips worked for me as a remote worker and will work for you.
Let’s get to it, now!
Tip #1: Get your team on an instant messenger app
Instant messaging allows for instant communication in real-time. It facilitates the exchange and sharing of audio, video, files and text within your team.
Process Street’s entire workforce works remotely. Our employees are spread across the globe and work in different time zones. Slack, an instant messenger app that allows us to manage dispersed teams, is a key component of our success.
Our team can communicate with each other across time zones, create group channels, share files, images, and links, and even interact asynchronously using Slack. Slack is a powerful communication and productivity tool with hundreds of integrations.
Slack is only one of many instant messaging applications. Chanty and Fleep are other great instant messenger apps. You can play around with different options to find the one that suits you best.
Instant messenger apps allow for remote team communication and collaboration. You’ll be stuck in the dark waiting for long delays between phone calls, emails, or any other communication tool. The word instant has value.
Tip #2: Take control over your business processes
Here’s a question for you.
How do you manage a remote team and project?
Remote working is not an extenuating circumstance that results in lower output quality. Actually, the reverse is true. Remote workers are more productive, have lower turnover, and are more likely to be retained and attracted top talent. These benefits can only be realized if your team works together efficiently and stays on track. You must also document your business processes.
Process Street, for example, is a simple-to-use tool that allows you to map your business operations in a checklist format stored in a cloud. Process Street documents your processes and securely stores the who, what, when and why of each project. Transparency allows team members to track and work together on the project’s progress. Operation are performed to the letter regardless of where employees are located.
You can be a project manager and track the progress of your team. Then, you can collaborate using this handy tool as your single source for truth about your business operations and projects.
Tip #3: Spice up your meetings
When your company moves to remote work, procrastination coffee chats and lunchtime walks and talks and dining room conversations all end,
A negative company culture is one that has nothing to talk about beyond the constraints of this deadline.
What can you do?
My team spiced up their meetings to build strong and supportive working relationships. Weekly meetings are held via Zoom. They begin with an icebreaker