What is Remote Collaboration? 4 Ways to Improve Teamwork 2024

Around’s AI-based camera framing removes empty space, auto-zooming in on your face and shoulders and cropping most of the background. Rather than a wall of videos, you see each other in “bubbles” that float over your other windows so you can maintain eye contact even as you switch between apps on your computer. A 2019 study revealed that poorly organized meetings cost $399 billion dollars in the United States alone. Set limits, turn tracked time into automated timesheets, and send invoices with Hubstaff. Born and raised in Atlanta, Britney is a freelance writer with 5+ years of experience.

1. If you’re just joining the remote work train, it’s crucial to understand if your organization is fit for a remote team.
2. Remote work styles need to follow the same best practices of an in-person workplace to be effective.
3. It should be the responsibility of the entire team to collaborate constructively.
4. Our favorite thing about Todoist is the fact that you can use it on virtually any platform.

This ultimate guide to team collaboration in the workplace will help business leaders to:

1. Also, acknowledge what’s hard and work with your team to gracefully get through it.
2. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations.
3. Contact our sales team to see the solution in action and get started today.
4. If she’s not spending her time chasing after three little humans and two four-legged friends, you can almost always find her glued to a book or awesome TV series.
5. Substantial long-lasting change requires a genuine cultural shift, with space for focus.

Since my company went to a completely remote model four years ago, our leadership team will definitely agree that it has certainly been a learning experience—and we haven’t always gotten it right. Despite the benefits of remote collaboration, the remote team still works like a traditional team. This includes remote work and videoconferencing, where the team manages day-to-day tasks. That’s why we recommend HelpCrunch for remote teams who want to communicate with their customers on all platforms. This saves you from having to hop between half a dozen different apps just to reply to tickets.Prices start at $15/month for each team member that you add.

Companies can also have dedicated informal chats where people can share success stories or come up with new and creative ideas. Team chat apps provide a way for remote workers to stay in-touch, be it on fun topics or to quickly resolve issues. Last but not least, make sure you have a strong culture within your remote team so employees know who they’re working with and feel comfortable collaborating with others. A person who doesn’t know their peers or feels excluded from the team is likely to engage with others, so it’s essential to build an inclusive culture.

Company

Collaboration software, project management tools and communication technology must enhance virtual collaboration. Teams must be able to access their tools from anywhere and get updates in real-time to meet common goals. Miro is an online collaborative whiteboard platform that helps distributed teams with brainstorming, planning, and project management. It offers a flexible and intuitive interface that allows users to create, share, and collaborate on visual content in real time. Miro is especially useful for teams that need to brainstorm ideas, map remote team collaboration out processes, and visualize complex projects together.

If there is an expectation of being always-on, stress will be high and quality work will suffer. Substantial long-lasting change requires a genuine cultural shift, with space for focus. That’s why, according to a Harvard Business Review article, when we practice physical or social distancing, it’s important to reduce affinity distancing (distancing around values, trust, and teamwork). In other words—even if your team can’t be physically near, it’s critical that their values align, that trust is maintained and built between people, and that teamwork remains strong. In this guide, we’ve detailed the most important elements of remote collaboration, plus outlined four ways you can improve collaboration within your team.

What is the best leadership style for remote teams?

Effective collaboration allows remote teams to communicate effortlessly and, ultimately, increase productivity through streamlined outcomes. Without taking steps to improve remote collaboration, your virtual team could be at risk of a lack of visibility, unclear objectives, and poor planning. Teams need to be able to work together to brainstorm, complete projects, and achieve their goals, no matter where they’re located.

Whether emailing, Zooming, Skyping, or Slacking, 45% of workers feel more connected to their team as a result of using digital communication. Utilize all the capabilities of these tools to ensure a highly collaborative environment. Nonverbal communication, such as body language and facial expressions, are not easily discernible in remote meetings. Going “around the room” for comments is commonly used in virtual meetings, with the moderator calling out specific individuals for their input. To avoid potential stage fright, the moderator can go alphabetically by name or department.

Just because your teams are remote, doesn’t mean they don’t need the same amount and kinds of team bonding that your in-office teams would have. While it may be easier to get a team together for lunch when everyone is in the same office, it’s possible with a little creativity to bond your remote teams so they can feel more collaborative. Asana is the detailed, mature version of online project management tools. Just like Trello, Asana has individual and project boards, and an option to create subtasks, but it doesn’t stop here. Seeking feedback from your employees is a good start to uncovering which processes work and which ones need refinement.

Improving remote team collaboration requires a blend of effective communication, the right tools, and a supportive culture. Project Management Offices (PMOs) can start by establishing clear communication channels and regular check-ins to ensure everyone is on the same page. Utilize collaboration tools like project management software, video conferencing, and instant messaging to facilitate seamless interaction. Encourage a culture of transparency and trust, where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and feedback. Additionally, fostering social connections through virtual team-building activities can strengthen relationships and enhance teamwork. By prioritizing these elements, remote teams can work together more efficiently and achieve their goals.

These remote work tools provide a virtual workspace where team members can share files, conduct meetings, manage projects, and brainstorm ideas in real-time or asynchronously. Remote team collaboration is a modern approach to working together at a distance. Although remote work collaboration often refers to global teams, large distances are not needed to work together remotely.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your team’s productivity, be sure to take advantage of the various collaborative tools that are out there. One of the biggest challenges when working remotely is ensuring that communication is clear and efficient. This can be done by establishing clear protocols for communication, such as which tools to use, how often to communicate, and what to communicate.