3 Approaches to Collaboration And Remote Employees

During the last few years, we've seen a major shift in the way employees and employers feel about remote work and flexible scheduling. Remote work was once seen as an aid to help develop a successful work-life balance. Today, it is seen as much more than that. Remote work is now considered one of the key benefits of a competitive job opening. 

Several years ago, it was believed that employees could only be productive and successful at their job by being in the workplace. In the same tone, many employees will leave a job because they were not able to balance their home life and work life due to the absence of flexibility. Today's employees are finding more happiness when they are offered the option to work from home. Many employees are also not hesitant to leave a job with limited flexibility to find a job that offers the flexibility they are seeking. 

The acceptance of remote work has essentially impacted workplace collaboration. Today's workforce has seen positive impacts on employee productivity, employee efficiency, and employee engagement, but effectively managing the different teams can become problematic. While conference calls can still be made through video calls, it takes proper effort and communication on all sides to ensure that no one feels excluded. 

There are various tools and resources that can be used to ensure remote experiences feel like in-person experiences. While team leaders and managers hold responsibility in how they handle the various strategies and dynamics, the remote employees also hold a responsibility to make sure their presence is known. What can your remote employees do to ensure the relationships with leaders and supervisors are effectively managed?

What's The Plan?

One of the attributes of today's workplace experiences is that it has become very personalized. Technology stresses creativity and distinct efficiency and productivity. There should be an effective system in place that will establish a relationship between employees, supervisors, and managers. Employees should have a conversation with their managers about their expectations, including the preferred method of communication and scheduling. When expectations are set, there should not be any hesitation to make sure those expectations are upheld on both sides. Remote work will not be a success if there are constant clashes. 

Open The Workplace Toolbox

With video calls, private and group messaging, and video calls, there will be no shortage of communication channels that will empower remote employees with incredible opportunities to communicate with their managers and team leaders. We understand that it can be very easy for remote employees to stop communicating when there has not been anything scheduled until a specific time later in the day. However, it is important that the proper tools are used so there will always be an open line of communication. Employers should make sure their remote employees are able to check-in on a daily basis.

Evaluate Current Strategy

We understand that creating and maintaining a strong workforce that includes remote workers can be difficult for some businesses. It can be tough to figure out what direction you need to go, but it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for everyone. If you are running into some struggles with some of your remote workers, it is important that you keep an open line of communication and discuss the concerns.

There may be struggles due to a variety of reasons, including the type communication tools you are using, as well as how often they are being used. For instance, your employees may have better productivity if more messaging and video calls are used. When you take the time to reevaluate where you currently stand, we are sure you will be able to determine what areas need the most attention.

Are you ready to find the right tools for your modern workplace? Schedule your Skype for Business Demo with CallTower today to see if it will work for you: