How to Increase Team Collaboration Within the Virtual Workplace

With all the changes happening, some facets would remain for businesses and organizations, such as remote work and digital transformation. According to a survey from The Conference Board, respondents expect 40% or more of employees in their organizations to continue working primarily remotely one year after COVID-19 subsides. However, since remote work will continue to dominate companies, leaders miss the “in-person” synergy, decreasing team collaboration.

Leaders and managers need a different effort when leading a remote team. Here are some strategies for making virtual collaboration more efficient and successful.

Building Trust With Each Other: Trust is the backbone of a good team. To build this trust, engage with others regularly by interacting outside of scheduled meeting times. If you see that you are drifting away from your team members, start from the beginning by getting to know each other personally, creating a sense of community. As a result, people will feel more comfortable during meeting times and are more likely to share knowledge.

Harnessing People’s Enthusiasm: Business leaders need to find inventive strategies to incorporate during meetings to recreate the conference room meeting environment into a virtual setting. For example, if you have a large group meeting, it is helpful to split the employees into smaller groups by using the breakout rooms feature. For smaller groups, use the components from the in-person meeting that you typically have and replicate them virtually, such as using the chat feature so employees can engage with each other.

Focus on Company Culture: Company culture is an aspect that many employees love about their job. Company leaders need to continue to remind the employees what makes working at the business special with supporting one another and coming together. This idea will allow a healthy environment for everyone. Collaboration isn’t just task-oriented; it is being empathetic and understanding the importance of the team and company.

To help improve collaboration amongst team members, check out speakers Phil Hansen and Mike Massimo. An internationally recognized multimedia artist, Phil Hansen delivers an excellent keynote speaking on embracing challenges through teamwork and demonstrates the power of coming together to create something new. Mike Massimo, a former NASA astronaut, empowers his audience to recognize the purpose in your work and look at the bigger picture when you are working with your team at your job.

For the past two years, the pandemic has changed the landscape for different life factors, ranging from the way we celebrate holidays with family members to students having the opportunity to go to school from home. However, team collaboration has not changed how businesses and companies work in a virtual world.