I’m sure we’ve all received a text before and thought, “What does that mean?” I mean, what does it mean when your friend sends you the upside-down smiley face after saying hey? Are they happy, sad or mad? 🙃 This just goes to show that sometimes communicating online can get confusing. Without being in person, it can be hard to communicate what you mean without using facial cues or body language. This idea is especially true when working remotely and sometimes it can be difficult to effectively communicate what you are trying to say. What if we told you that there are various strategies that you can use to communicate virtually with your employees like a pro? Keep reading as we review 5 strategies that can be used to effectively communicate with your remote employees.
1) Set a weekly meeting time
A consistent schedule is a crucial element of remote work. By setting up a weekly meeting time, you can allow employees to ask questions or address concerns they may have. This can also help you and other team members stay updated on what everyone is working on. At these meetings, you should also discuss upcoming projects as well as any other general company updates.
2) Be clear about working hours
Many people crave structure at their work. It’s important that you establish a routine and clearly outline expected work hours for employees. This can vary based on the nature of your company, but if you would like everyone to work from 9 am to 5 pm on Monday to Friday, you need to communicate this to your team.
3) Create to-do lists
To-do lists set up targets that employees can hit during their work week. Employees may already know what they need to do, but having a task list in front of them can help employees better organize their time. This works to eliminate confusion and sets employees up for success.
4) Leverage various tools
Integrate a set of communication and collaboration tools to help your remote employees work together. This can include video conferencing, group messaging and other project management software. By setting up this strong framework you can help to streamline communication and connectivity amongst your remote employees.
5) Host remote employee engagement activities
Just because you are online, doesn’t mean that employees can’t bond. Organize virtual team-building activities and social events to allow your team members to get to know each other. This can help to create a sense of camaraderie and combat the feelings of isolation that can come with remote work.
While trying to organize a bunch of employees through a screen can seem like a daunting task, by keeping these 4 strategies in mind you can manage your remote team with ease. That being said, communicating virtually does require a certain set of skills to do it effectively. If you find that you are struggling with communicating with your employees online there are many resources available to help you. Here at STEPS, we offer small business support services to help companies manage their employees. We are also a hybrid company ourselves and would love to work with you to teach you the best practices when communicating virtually with your team. Learn more about our services on our home page or send us a message on our contact page.
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