Henry Ford said it best, "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself". Although the founder of the Ford Motor Company lacked access to the digital tools being used by his organization today, he was still able to revolutionize the automobile through collaboration. From boosting morale among employees to increasing retention rates, team collaboration has always been one of the keys to success in any industry. In 2020, however, team collaboration went virtual.
Many organizations are still overcoming the challenges associated with transitioning from in-person to remote collaboration. According to a 2021 State of Work study, “difficulties with collaboration and communication was listed as the second biggest struggle for remote workers”. These remote work teething problems put business leaders on the spot regarding how to provide their employees with the same access to the people, information, resources, etc. that traditional office employees have. Fortunately, there are a variety of effective strategies to improve virtual collaboration among your team:
Employers are finding innovative ways to help bridge the gap between remote workers and the office. Remote team building activities, like online office games, virtual book clubs, and shared video lunches are some of ways companies are improving employee engagement. Even though face-to-face communications are ideal for building workplace friendships and teamwork, virtual collaboration gets easier with the right software and digital tools in place.
Sure, video conferencing is a staple of the remote work era that can help foster team collaboration through brainstorming and goal alignment. But, using it excessively can also lead to physical exhaustion and irritation. Here are some recommended solutions for Zoom fatigue:
We love having our daily stand ups in Spatial! There’s a fine line between micromanaging and holding remote workers accountable. Leaders today really have to focus on building trust by setting clear expectations and providing consistent status updates. There are a variety of project
management software solutions that can help keep remote teams on track by providing automatic notifications, file sharing and task delegation. Some popular options for business owners include Google Drive, Notion, and Microsoft Office Suite. Spatial offers a couple of these integrations which helps teams collaborate more effectively.
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Traditional water cooler conversation is limited in many businesses right now leaving employees feeling the withdrawal from much needed workplace socialization and friendship. That is why a growing number of business owners are investing in virtual collaboration tools like chat apps, video platforms and project management software to improve communication and enable virtual side-by-side working. Chat apps are quickly becoming a preferred digital tool to increase remote collaboration. These tools also provide users with a significant advantage over standard email by allowing multiple people to communicate simultaneously in real time. Slack, Google Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams are some of the most popular platforms currently on the market that are being used to help keep workers engaged. Slack is another integration that Spatial offers, enhancing team communication.
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Companies that wish to improve virtual collaboration can’t be afraid to experiment with some of these tips and digital tools discussed here. The first step is to research what software solutions are the most reliable and will meet the needs of your remote employees. Then, you can focus on team-building exercises to boost engagement and fine tuning the procedures to ensure that everybody is productive and motivated while working from home.
