Frederick Jace
When COVID 19 debuted globally, the idea of working from home became a norm. In reality, it is still the new normal, and many companies haven’t opened offices. Still, they allow their employees to work from home to stay safe. It’s also a good opportunity to make everyone work peacefully. Since spending on travel and commuting can be a big issue, the idea of working from home is a breath of fresh air.
However, a drawback of working remotely is the lack of teamwork. It’s an organic consequence of the setting that involves working from home. As a manager, you must ensure that your team works productively and together. Wondering how? Here’s how you can do it:
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Focus on Face to Face Interactions
Whenever a meeting has to be held, everyone should turn on their cams. After all, the experience of a voice-over isn’t as tempting as when people see each other. A live conversation is what everyone needs to stay connected at work.
Luckily, video conferencing makes it easier for everyone to connect. Since everyone sees each other on cam, they feel closely connected without physical differences.
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Establish Norms
Just because everyone is working from home doesn’t mean your firm will lose its ethics. Every employee should be strictly asked to check in after a certain time. It’s a good way to ensure people are uptight about their work. Of course, one doesn’t need to shower and change for work quickly. Still, they can punch in at the right time when everyone else is doing the same.
Once the norms are being followed, it will be good for the company morale. Ask employees to come together at a certain time for group meetings. Online scrum sessions can be held to track the progress of every employee.
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Introduce Virtual Happy Hours
The idea of a happy hour has already become a global rage. Almost every business owner appreciates it. After all, it’s the only time everyone lets their guards down to enjoy the moment. The internet is flooded with virtual holiday party ideas for teams specifically.
So don’t shy away from picking any one of them. You can play any game that everyone agrees to. For instance, you can ask team members to play Never Have I Ever. Everyone on the team will have a glass of their wine. It’s a good way to be candid with each other.
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Provide Avenues for Informal Communication
Another strong part of every company is casual communication. After all, employees have an informal relationship with each other apart from the official ways. However, there should be a limit to how everyone communicates at work. The use of slang and weird phrases shouldn’t be embraced. You need to set rules for males and females to interact.
However, you can ask informed questions if you wish to strike a casual conversation with the employees. Still, they need to be politically correct so nobody feels exploited. Today, information communication has become a strong part of the workplace culture.
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Provide Collaborative Tools
Collaboration is the basis of a well-functioning workplace. It becomes even harder to implement when people aren’t working in the same physical environment. Thankfully, tons of resources are available that help in paddling collaboration amongst various platforms. All you need to do is find ones that fit your company’s needs.
The tools will vary depending on the employee’s strength and the need for teamwork. You can check out G Suite and video conferencing features on many platforms. They compel your organization to work better. Now is a very good time for using collaborative tools to the maximum.
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Establish Realistic Goals
Every team should be assigned a realistic goal that they can work on. After all, realistic goals have to be embraced and respected. It will be doomed if a team doesn’t have a realistic goal. So when goals are clearly defined, they’ll help you become a better version of yourself.
Plus, when teams are informed about the goals on time, it will be easy to divide work and get it done. On the contrary, if goals aren’t defined, everyone will be confused.
