The recent pandemic shined a light on many businesses’ ability to survive as
employees were forced to work from home. Remote work has been a topic of
debate for many years, but often wasn’t considered a realistic option. But as
we’ve seen, new employee flexibility and autonomy hasn’t had any identifiable
negative impacts to productivity. In many cases, productivity increased as
people saved time on commutes and office chatter.
It’s no surprise this new data has increased the popularity of the remote work
movement.. And with talent located all over the world, employers are seeing
the value of hiring globally. With that being said, if businesses want to see
continued success as they expand, they’ll need to keep a few basic practices
in mind.
Ways to communicate with a global team
Every employee is unique, with different learning and communication styles.
There’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all method to communicate with a
global team. It’s up to each business to understand the needs of their team
and develop a communication strategy accordingly. Here are some channels to
consider to encourage engagement from all team members:
- Written Channels: We have all experienced the frustration of sitting through a long meeting and realizing it could be replaced with a simple email. Written channels can be especially valuable if you have team members in different time zones around the world. Dozens of tools and technology support written communication. However, written conversations aren’t enough to keep everyone on the same page.
- Voice/Video: Recent development in this area has made remote teams stronger. With video chat, conference lines, and phone calls, it’s easy to have real-time conversations from anywhere in the world. This is an essential channel to reduce confusion and maintain human relationships and interactions (for all those extroverts out there).
- In-Person Meetings: Obviously, with a global team, this can be a challenge. But businesses should make an effort to have quarterly or semi-annual meetups for specific teams (or the entire organization). This can create a sense of belonging and loyalty to ensure everyone feels part of a cohesive unit. At the end of the day, authentic relationships will help you retain your global workforce.
Creating a plan to communicate with a global team will save you headaches in
the future. Determine the best balance of written communication, live
conversations, and in-person meetings to maintain positive collaboration and
unity.
Global communication best practices
Establish communication expectations
Managers need to implement clear guidelines for proper communication within
the team. With so many different channels available, employees may not know
what channel to use and at what times. Establishing communication expectations
will give your team confidence to collaborate while reducing miscommunication
and frustration.
Here are some questions to consider:
- When should the team use email vs. Slack?
- What should be added to Asana vs. shared in WhatsApp?
- When do you schedule a call vs. a group chat?
- When should the manager be included in daily tasks?
- What is the approval process?
These are all important questions to address and formalize upfront. As
frustrations or confusion arise, you’ll be better equipped to resolve those
communication challenges.
Hold regular one-on-one meetings
The key to success when communicating with a global team is authentic
relationships and accountability. Conducting regular one-on-one meetings can
keep you up-to-date and engaged with each member of the team. If you want
employees to feel like they’re part of the team, take the time to learn their
responsibilities and provide praise and feedback.
Managers can make these meetings as frequent as needed. From weekly to
monthly, it’s good to have these meetings, even if there isn’t anything
critical to address. Use it as an opportunity to touch base, discuss recent
events and build a stronger relationship. These often provide greater value,
as they allow teams to discuss life outside the office and develop
relationships outside of tasks and deliverables.
Encourage collaboration
It’s true… it’s much easier to collaborate in person. If something pops in
your head, you can walk over to someone’s desk and strike up a conversation or
grab some people and head into a conference room. The proximity and constant
communication creates an atmosphere of natural collaboration.
When your team is global or remote, it takes more effort to work together.
Find ways to remove as much friction as possible. For example, instead of
sending an Excel spreadsheet or Word document back and forth via email, use
cloud-based software like Google Suite. Your team can edit, collaborate,
review and finish projects without ever leaving their browser.
Simple efforts like this will encourage your team to be more productive,
without waiting for emails or confirmations.
Managing conflict
First of all, understand that conflict is a natural and healthy part of life
(if handled well). When you communicate with a global team, you need to
consider the various religions, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, political
or sexual orientation, country norms, and more. With so much diversity in the
world, there is potential for unintentional conflict to arise.
Written communication has the greatest risk of misinterpretation. Without
facial cues or body language, sarcasm or humor can be misread. Make sure
managers always understand this and provide guidelines to maintain healthy
relationships.
Technology support
We’ve mentioned various platforms and technologies throughout this article. So
here is a list of tools that we or our Clients have been using to improve
communication efforts among global teams.
- Slack : This tool replaces many of the unnecessary emails in an organization. Create specific channels, threads, and conversations to stay on top of projects.
- Zoom : Video chat allows global teams to still have face-to-face conversations. Don’t miss any body language or facial cues as you discuss business tasks.
- WhatsApp / Skype : Tools like this can help for urgent needs or non-business related topics. It can be used as a more casual communication platform to maintain relationships and get immediate responses when needed.
- Google Suite : Google can be used as a centralized platform for spreadsheets, documents, presentations, calendars, email and more. Work together on projects in real-time.
- Asana / Monday / Trello : Task management tools will keep your team accountable and make sure nothing ever falls through the cracks.
Obviously there are many more communication tools available. It’s up to each
individual business to determine the best ways to communicate with a global
team.
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