Challenges of Effective Communication in Remote Work Environments
Remote work has become more common and brings its own set of challenges with effective communication high on the list of challenges.
If your organization has remote workers, it is vital to stay engaged with them, so they stay motivated and productive. It can be easy to not communicate as much or as often with your remote staff as they could fall into the category of out-of-sight-out-of-mind. Having remote workers can be challenging, but they can be a great part of your team’s success.
9 tips for maintaining connectedness with remote workers
- Set clear expectations, deadlines, and document your communications.
- Communicate with your remote employees frequently and consistently. Include relevant organizational updates and fun anecdotes from the office.
- Use technology to stay connected (video meetings with your cameras ON). Ensure your remote employees have the proper tools and equipment to do their job effectively and efficiently.
- Schedule regular 1:1 meetings with all your staff, not just those who are remote. Be sure to incorporate team meetings that include on-site and remote employees. Team meetings will help build a strong unit and encourage remote and on-site staff connections.
- Be transparent.
- Offer training and development opportunities to your remote employees just as you would for your on-site staff to keep them growing professionally and motivated. In addition, continuing education and training can boost employee retention rates.
- Stay away from micro-managing your staff, whether remote or on-site. Instead, if there are performance issues, deal with them head-on with compassion and honesty.
- Be supportive of the remote employee’s success. Provide regular feedback and recognition to encourage remote employees.
- Have an open-door policy with all employees. Ensure your employees know when and how best to connect with you.
It’s important to remember that many remote employees work more than their regular hours (typically 1.4 more days per month). Employers should remind employees to take frequent breaks and not make a habit of extended work hours.
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The information contained in this article is not a substitute for legal advice or counsel and has been pulled from multiple sources.
