Bridging the Gap
Without the benefit of being able to run into coworkers in the hallway or visit them at their desk, we have to increase our digital communication efforts to make up the difference. If you’re not already in the habit of doing so, sending a quick confirmation response whenever you get an email will prevent the sender from wondering if you’ve seen their message. Defaulting to sending more communications than you normally would will help keep everyone up to speed.
Information Funnel
Between email, instant messaging services, text messaging, video chat and phone calls, each team might use a variety of different communication tools. To ensure that nothing falls through the cracks, send a copy of anything import through email or whatever your team’s designated channel is. If you’re looking for something important it’s much better to be able to search in one place.
Keep it Casual
Without an office kitchen or shared area to gather and small talk, interoffice communications can default to being very business oriented. Scheduling short video meetings specifically to catch up can help bring back the feeling of comradery we’ve all been missing.
These are good starting points, but what’s most important is being intentional and transparent with the way your team uses technology to communicate while WFH. Without an agreed-upon system in place, it’s unlikely that teams will default into doing things the best way they could be done. Through consistency, your team can have a better system and perhaps WFH won’t feel so remote.
