Having a productive work environment is imperative for any upcoming business. But in a time where you aren’t able to work in person, it can be hard to feel that you have any control at all. How can you keep your team on track to meet important goals without having access to them in a cubicle?
Communicate
First, you must focus on communication. Without an effective way of talking with your employees, you might be paying them to sit around—completely unaware of the top priorities of the company. Train your employees to always reach out if they have a question, and set specific times to reach out to them to give them further instruction.
Use communication tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and email to ensure you can get a hold of each employee. If you have times where you aren’t able to talk with them, make sure they know what those hours are. That way they never have to feel bad if they need to send you a message.
Use Your Resources
On top of communication software, you can also utilize other tools that can only add to your team’s efficacy. Team management software comes with plenty of advanced features that will make everyone’s jobs easier. For example, Slack can allow every employee to know precisely what they need to be doing without needing to send a hundred emails.
Additionally, team management software makes it incredibly easy to collaborate. Each employee can feel confident in their role in a massive project, and they can also figure out who they need to talk to if they are working on something specific.
Accountability
To cap it all off, you must make sure that your team is accountable to one another. This is a different kind of communication that can help people stay on task and think about the future. Don’t be afraid to hold weekly meetings with your entire team to share what you are working on.
Every meeting, you should sit down with your team and ask them what questions they have and what they have done so far. This promotes further group cohesion and may inspire others to be proactive. Accountability can be a great motivator.
Emphasizing team cooperation in a remote (and in-person) work environment can keep things simple. Your employees can feel comfortable with their role, and you can feel positive about where your group is headed. All it takes is communication, smart resources, and accountability.
