Working from home comes with a myriad of added distractions and challenges, building a truly productive space is even harder. Remember that the barking dogs in the neighbor’s yard and the household chores piling up aren’t the only things getting in the way of your team’s progress. The workspace itself can make or break virtual team productivity.
Improve Productivity With Your Virtual Team
The first thing to remember is to steer clear of micromanagement. Getting attached to how, when, and why things are done generally has the opposite effect on productivity. Instead, the best path forward is to support your team in managing their own workflows in the ways that work best for them.
Help Your Team With Project Management
Equip your team with project management software that helps them move through projects in an easy, clear, and organized way. Train team members to take full advantage of the software’s built-in tools so they can successfully manage their own tasks and schedules.
For example, create a principal location where all project data can be found, and continue to add tasks and resources to keep everything together. Make use of activity dashboards so team members can see updates on what’s been completed and what still needs to get done at a glance. Use visual timeline tools and calendars to track progress overall. Take advantage of templates, project duplication, and recurring tasks to avoid creating similar projects and tasks from scratch. Create a tangible workspace out of an otherwise virtual experience.
Communicate
To maximize virtual team productivity, you need to promote ongoing constructive communication as well as casual chit chat. Remember, even remote teams need to feel connected to each other. Utilize an internal chat tool that allows private messaging, group channels, and in-task communication. When conversations are organized, critical information is less likely to get lost. Plus, team members won’t feel left out.
Additionally, it’s important that your teammates feel that they have some agency over their time and space. Your team should personalize communication settings—to mute notifications during an especially busy time, for example.
Create an Inclusive Culture
It’s always good form to respect distinct work styles and personalities. Cultivating understanding and patience in a diverse workplace is essential to people getting along, but you have an added challenge with a remote team. Inspiring this sense of inclusivity should be an integral part of the company culture. In addition to prioritizing collaboration and productivity, the company’s larger vision should be very familiar and should recognize the contributions of all team members. People who feel that they’re a part of something bigger are much more likely to feel empowered in their day-to-day work.
And, remember to always be a source of team inspiration!
