There has been a huge shift in the working world in recent years. Namely, people have learned that they are able to work from home. This can offer a lot of advantages to businesses and their employees. For instance, there can be an increase in productivity, as well as higher staff morale.
But, there is still one problem that exists when you have staff working from home. That is trying to stay connected with them. In other words, it is more difficult to find out the tasks they are working on and if they need any support when they are not all in the office. The good news is, there are several ways you can improve relations. Here are five ways to stay connected with your team when they are working from home.
Have Monthly Meetings
You need to regularly be in contact with your team when they work from home. Perhaps they are left to their own devices during the working day. But, it cannot always be this way. You have to make sure that you are checking up on their progress, as well as they fully understand what they are doing.
It is recommended to have monthly meetings. But, if you already keep in contact virtually, you should make these meetings in person. There is nothing quite as good as communicating face-to-face. For example, W1 Virtual Office has meeting rooms you can use when you have a virtual office here. You can rent them for your monthly meeting and your team can gather in London. This is a good private space to discuss business and you can cover all the topics that are needed.
Invest in Collaborative Software
Sometimes, emails just do not cut it. It is easy for messages to be missed, as well as interactions being difficult to understand. Not everyone is good at emails and it can lead to disjointedness in a team. This can have a knock-on effect when it comes to projects and when each team member has different roles to play in a task.
But, there is one way you can make communication a lot easier. This is by investing in collaborative software. This is going to allow everyone to see certain documents and what everyone is doing in real-time. It allows each member of the team to say what they are working on and have completed on charts, diagrams and even whiteboards.
Regular Video Conferences
Yes, phone calls can be great for quick communication. But, sometimes, it helps to see someone’s body language and interact with them in a way that seems more realistic. So, this is where video conferences come in. You can set them up on a regular basis to discuss projects and solve problems people are having.
What’s more, the great thing about video conferences is that you can have as many people join in as you like. It can be one-to-one if there is a specific topic to discuss with an employee. Alternatively, all of the team can video call together and talk about a project.
Use Chat Applications
There are a lot of apps out there that you can get your team to download. This can allow for real-time chat in a way that is similar to sending a text. Each member of your team can log in at the start of the day and this can be a quick way to communicate with other employees. They can get the answers they need, as well as just check in with other people.
Most people use chat apps in their personal life. This means that it is easy for them to get on board with this type of application at work.
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Arrange In-Person Social Events
Yes, communication is important to make sure that work tasks are completed. But, do not forget that you want your team to be happy and enjoy their workplace. Just because they are not in the office does not mean they should not get to know the team. When people get on and know each other, they are going to feel more comfortable interacting and working together on projects.
Therefore, make sure that you still arrange in-person social events for your team. This can be a way for them to bond and have some fun. It is a good way to improve communication in the long run, as well as ensure people enjoy where they work. When this happens, they will stay for longer.
