FUTURE OF COMMS
The Personal Touch “Building strong relationships and creating a supportive team culture are key to success in a remote work environment,” said Maddock. “Team members can achieve this by making an effort to connect with their colleagues on a personal level and fostering a sense of community and belonging. “Companies can support these interactions by setting up virtual coffee breaks, bringing teams together for in person events and team-building activities and encouraging team members to engage with each other on a personal level.
and you’ll never work a day in your life’ is plainly true, but as wages stagnate and costs continue to rise, employee churn can hang on the conditions that they work in. At the heart of ‘the great resignation’ phenomena was the fact employees were unhappy about working conditions and career progression opportunities. Two years on, and working from home is still a hot topic, with multiple studies indicating people are more productive at home and believe their well being has improved as a result; particularly amongst the younger generations. But while employees feel better, the affinity for the employers can diminish as the social interactions of the office are made extinct. The solution, according to Pavel Stepanov, CEO of Virtudesk, is to try not to treat remote employees differently than those in the office. “Technology solutions like video conferencing, instant messaging, and collaboration software can facilitate communication and foster a sense of community among team members. But businesses should also encourage employee participation during meetings by asking those remote workers for feedback, ideas, or suggestions. “At Virtudesk, we treat our remote employees like regular in-house employees. This fosters a sense of inclusivity in the workplace whether they are working remotely or inside the office.“ Not discriminating against those sitting at home might sound like the least that employers should be doing. But when those people aren’t in the room, that can be easier said than done though, but Dvir Ben-Aroya, CEO and Co-founder of Spike, suggested that asking those remote for feedback is a great place to start. “If businesses want to get the most out of their employees, there’s a few things they can do. The first is to set clear expectations for remote employees, including work hours, deadlines, and communication methods, and provide regular feedback on their performance and progress towards goals. “It’s important to foster a sense of community among remote employees. Organising virtual team-building activities, social events, and having informal conversations is a great way of doing this, and providing the necessary tools, resources, and training for remote employees will also help them to be successful in their role.”
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Pavel Stepanov CEO
myvirtudesk.com
Companies can support these interactions by setting up virtual coffee breaks, bringing teams together for in person events and team-building activities and encouraging team members to engage with each other on a personal level.
“By building strong relationships, team members can support each other, collaborate effectively, and achieve their goals together. Additionally, team members can contribute to a positive team culture by being supportive, offering help when needed, and being open to feedback. By fostering a culture of collaboration, respect, and support, businesses can create a productive and enjoyable work environment, even when their teams work remotely.” On top of a great culture, Maddock said that remote employees need to stay engaged throughout calls in order to avoid any negative effects of remote working. “Effective communication is essential for any team to function well, but when working remotely, communication becomes even more important,” said Maddock. “To improve communication in remote teams, companies can take several steps. “Firstly, establishing clear communication protocols that define how remote team members should communicate with each other and the team is critical. These
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