How to maintain the cohesion of a home working team?
A manager surrounded by a team or guiding the team at a distance... there is a big difference. The further away a team is, the more it is necessary to create good ties. Good collaboration tools, animations, ... Here are some tips to keep the link!
Use common tools
The communication tools. Teleworking doesn't mean you have to isolate yourself from the rest of the world! Slack, Hangouts, Skype or even Teams... These are valuable allies for staying in touch with your team, both written and spoken. Group discussions for a common project? One-on-one meetings to solve a problem? Video conferencing for team meetings? Or a simple message for an informal conversation? It is up to you to choose the tool that best suits your team, and most importantly, use it wisely if necessary.
E-mails remain a very good channel for communication, but these alternative tools allow you to substitute classic messaging, while maintaining a more friendly character and human warmth (because an e-mail is cold, especially when it is in telegraphic mode!).
The collaboration tools. When it comes to project management, there is a wide choice of different tools: Trello, Taskworld, Klaxoon, Asana, Monday.com... These apps can help you organize the work at a distance and ensure proper distribution of information between the different members of your team.
Starting (new rituals)
Weekly team meetings through video calls. They allow the team to meet once a week, some from home, others on site at the office. It is a crucial moment that makes it possible to maintain coherence, discuss ongoing projects and pass on information. To keep a social link, prefer video conferences with the cameras on. This allows you to see each other and keep you more attentive throughout the meeting. And what's more, it's good for morale.
The one-to-one exchanges. Equally important, one-to-one exchanges are essential to ensure that your teleworkers are doing well! It allows you to take the temperature and sometimes to spot negative signals: isolation, organizational problems, overload of work ... Stay vigilant to avoid being sidelined and to ensure the well-being of everyone.
Morning flash. Depending on your activity, it's interesting to take every morning a brief moment of ten minutes to keep the dynamics of your team. Sharing the goals of the day, having an e-coffee together, leaving room for informal discussions, that's a good start of the day!
Organize events, even at a distance!
A digital coffee break! Do you miss the discussions around the coffee machine? We have the solution: every week, form a small random group of 3 or 4 people and make an appointment for them to have a virtual coffee together. Like in real life, you never know who you'll run into ... Gossip, and other pro info guaranteed!
Share and celebrate achievements. A goal achieved? A completed project? Congratulations of a customer? Anytime is a good time to celebrate with your teams! If the schedules of each other allow it, launch a brief moment in a video conference to mark the occasion! N.B .: it also works with birthdays.
A weekly challenge. The prettiest photo of you telecommuting, or the nicest office? The best recipe of the week? The worst dumpling? Be creative and challenge your team
TIP
A golden role : trust your teleworkers. You can feel like you're losing control a bit when the team is at a distance. But many studies show that teleworkers are just as productive (or sometimes more!) as workers on site. So let go and trust them.
