Over time, this builds a culture of "default to transparency" and improves communication across the board. Small details can be invaluable knowledge for new employees. You never know who else needs to be aware of what you're working on and quite often, the best insights come from those outside of your team or project. Technology is the key to remote collaboration. But that doesn't mean it's without its challenges. Nothing triggers an anxious breakdown for a remote worker as much as a Wi-Fi router that won't connect.
While technology problems are not solely a remote work problem — traditional offices rely on many of the same tools — they're certainly more of an issue for distributed teams. Remote workers rely on two things to collaborate remotely; software and the internet.
If you're a digital nomad or working from a cafe or public library, Wi-Fi can be spotty at the best of times and makes video conferencing a headache. Internet problems, hardware issues, and software bugs can cause things can fall apart pretty quickly and Angus from IT and the Apple Store usually aren't nearby.
But it's not just technology failure that can cause problems for remote collaboration. Remote work hasn't just rapidly changed where we work, but the way we work and brought with it a suite of new virtual collaboration tools that many employees are struggling to get used to. One of the highest-leverage things you can do to promote more efficient remote collaboration and to increase productivity is to invest in cloud-based collaboration tools that promote asynchronous work.
Cloud-based apps and software allow teams to collaborate instantaneously, regardless of their location. Because everything is stored remotely, distributed teams have access to the same information and files in real-time and never have to worry about version history. Email has become a bit of a pariah and the villain of productivity in recent years: it's distracting.
The reason it's distracting is that it gets abused by office workers all around the world who treat it as a real-time communication channel, sending over billion emails per day with 2-minute response times. Why is this a problem? Synchronous communication disrupts focus.
Asynchronous communication fosters it. But email isn't the only villain in this story. Remote collaboration tools such as Slack , Microsoft Teams, Discord , and WhatsApp experienced record growth rates in as teams all around the world transitioned to remote work. These tools are great for real-time collaboration, but just like email, they quickly get out of hand and can become an unrelenting stream of distraction and notifications. Constant notifications mean that remote workers spend more time checking messages and instant messaging.
This equates to less time performing deep work. A distraction-free environment is necessary for deep work. Unnecessary notifications are not just a time sink as well, distractions split people's attention , leaving behind attention residue and making it even harder to focus.
So how can you help prevent this? Stop bombarding your coworkers with notifications. Keep communication channels clear of unnecessary chat and think through messages before sending them. Can I find the answer to this on my own? Sending an unnecessary question to a coworker might seem innocuous, but it disrupts their flow and potentially several other coworkers. Your problem has now become their problem which can be incredibly annoying and demotivating. Choose your digital volume wisely.
This is partly due to the "always-on" precedent set by some of these remote collaboration tools, but also due to the lack of separation between home and office. In a traditional office environment, the physical commute acts as a barrier, but when your workspace is in the next room it's much easier to overwork.
According to Owl Labs and Buffer , remote workers spend at least an extra 26 hours working every month. This equates to almost an entire workday each week.
Remote workers need to set boundaries to keep this under control. Here are some best practices to be as clear as possible when you're offline:. Google Workspace previously known as GSuite is a collection of productivity apps and remote collaboration tools. We use Google Workspace at Himalayas and we're a huge fan of Google Workspace because it covers almost everything a remote team needs:. Sure, some of these apps on their own are outclassed by competitors, but the real power of Google Workspace is that it is an entire integrated suite of tools in a relatively low-cost package.
Google Workspace is free to trial for 14 days. If you haven't used a password manager before, they're incredibly useful for storing all your passwords in a single vault you can access with—you guessed it—one password. Resetting passwords is a pain. While it might only take a few minutes, these minutes add up and the distraction pulls focus from whatever you're working on.
We use 1Password at Himalayas to sync secure passwords for apps and services we use across our team. It's so handy, that I use it for all my personal passwords as well — it's one of the few apps I can't live without. For the amount of time and headaches it can save you, we think it's worth it. They offer a discount for annual billing. Dropbox is a super simple and reliable cloud storage and file-syncing service. If you're already using Google Workspace , you already have access to Google Drive.
While Dropbox is more expensive than Google Drive and many other cloud storage services, we love it because it just works. Dropbox has been around for years and generally is faster and more reliable than the competitors, especially if you're a creative team using large files. Dropbox is free to trial for 30 days. Notion is part project management tool and part note-taking app. A good way to think about it is as a flexible workspace that you can multipurpose for docs, tables, boards, and even entire internal knowledge bases.
Notion can have a bit of a learning curve, but when used effectively it is incredibly powerful and flexible. Notion is free to trial for individuals and teams. For more advanced user provisioning and security controls, they have an 'Enterprise' plan available. Coda is a popular alternative to Notion that blends the flexibility of documents, the power of spreadsheets, and the utility of apps into a single canvas.
When used effectively, it can replace dozens of apps and tools. Coda is free for the whole team to trial with limited features. They have an 'Enterprise' plan available for more advanced access controls and security. It goes beyond project management and to-do lists and is more of a centralized online hub for team collaboration. This is great for large teams, especially considering Basecamp essentially replaces several other apps. Slack is an extremely popular team messaging app and was a pioneer in online collaboration.
Slack is incredibly intuitive to use and a great tool to use, but it's also the most expensive team messaging app by quite a large margin. It can also be an over-stimulating nightmare of notifications if not managed properly.
We use WhatsApp at Himalayas to collaborate remotely. Discord is another popular free alternative to Slack and operates in a similar way. Discord was originally popularized by gamers and primarily used for voice communication, but has recently become a popular tool for remote collaboration. In fact, encouraging diversity will lead to a stronger performance overall.
Holding open discussions that involve people from all levels of the business helps to break down hierarchies. It also helps the workplace feel like a more transparent and engaging place.
This tried-and-tested technique takes many forms — from word association games to gathering around a whiteboard and sharing ideas. Now, thanks to technology, brainstorming can even be done remotely and asynchronously or in other words, not in real-time. According to a survey of over 19, workers by the ADP Research Institute , feeling part of a team plays a big part in helping employees feel engaged and valued.
Happier, more fulfilled workers are also much less likely to leave the business. Meetings are expensive , so the fewer you have, the better. When people communicate, delegate work, and use tools to track their work, the need for meetings will drop. Online collaboration tools are especially useful for remote workers because it makes it easy for everyone to tune in, engage, and share work from wherever they are in the world.
Collaborative teams are more efficient. Encouraging a dynamic workplace with different personality styles and skillsets mixing together has the added benefit of creating a fertile ground for innovation and ideas to flourish. The key is managing both synchronous and asynchronous communication well. Synchronous communication is the exchange of information in real-time between two or more people, which is what happens in the workplace daily.
On the other hand, asynchronous communication is the exchange of information between individuals without the need for all recipients to be available or to respond immediately. Both types of communication are essential because, as one study revealed , over two-thirds of employees report that frequent interruptions affect their productivity.
Asynchronous communication helps reduce the number of costly interruptions that take place. By encouraging your teams to take advantage of both synchronous and asynchronous sharing of information, you make it possible for everyone to be proactive instead of reactive.
When a conversation needs to happen immediately, you can use video conferencing, instant messaging, or meetings where the whole team is present to work on the problem. Clear team communication and collaboration also necessitates documenting and sharing key resources. A well-defined project scope or an outline of responsibilities is useful only if everyone on the team can access the information. You need a straightforward and simple way to share all of your resources, as well as a written plan detailing where and how various knowledge should be documented.
Look for tools that are easy to learn, support a variety of file types, and make it easy to find what you need. Google Drive is an online space where you can save, organize, and work on files as a team. All you need to access Google Team Drive is an Internet connection. You can even use it offline for those moments when you want or need to disconnect.
You must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Prev Article Next Article. Why implement a collaborative management platform?
Collaborative platforms allow teams who work remotely to communicate and share information on a time-convenient basis, rather than needing to coordinate across time zones. Using tech tools to collaborate provides opportunities for uninterrupted productivity. Transparency and accountability will improve any situation where teamwork is needed.
Documents and other files can be uploaded, attached, and are easily accessed by all users. Keep the following best practices in mind when searching for and adopting your new tool: 1. Choosing a New Collaborative Tool Evaluate operational processes within your organization and identify the specific areas where improvement is needed. Analyze and Identify Existing Workflow Obstacles Analyze operational procedures to learn what weaknesses exist within different departments that may be hindering productivity and collaboration.
Ask yourself and possibly others these questions before introducing a new tool: Are all team members clear on company-wide roles and responsibilities?
Is there someone who withholds information in an effort to usurp authority? Is work distributed evenly among employees so as not to overwhelm them to the point they feel collaboration is not possible? Are there issues of trust and loyalty with employees that are obstructing efficient workflow. Be Patient The process of analyzing your organization for areas where collaboration needs improvement, researching project management software options, selecting one, and implementing the new program takes time.
Transition the Current Tool Out Keep your current project management method while working through the process of onboarding the new tool—for now.
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