Efficient Plant April 2021 - 25

plant communications

Improve Remote
Collaboration
COMPANIES WORLDWIDE distributed their workforces when
the pandemic hit, ditching office space for the flexibility of working
from home or anywhere else. There are numerous benefits of remote
work, but the lack of physical structure can take its toll on employees
who thrive in an in-person setting. According to Corey Hulen, CTO
at Mattermost, Palo Alto, CA, while every team will have a different
remote experience, there are six keys to unlocking a great team and
employee experience.

RECORD & SHARE MEETING VIDEOS
Help keep team members who couldn't join the meeting looped in by
making meeting videos available for later viewing. It's also a great
practice to document and log meeting notes.

MORE OFFICE HOURS
One of the great things about remote teams is that they're usually
great at working asynchronously. This can present challenges and
disconnection for some employees, which is why it's important to
have face-to-face interactions. Setting aside time to interact-
especially casually-is challenging. There's no correct way to
replicate the spontaneity of in-person interactions online but having
anti-meetings or brief catch-up conversations to say hello can break
up monotony and lend much-needed human connection.

MANAGE OFFLINE TIME
With a globally distributed team, it's not uncommon for messages to
be sent when people are offline. It's useful to preface those messages
with some indication of urgency. Setting offline hours on a shared
calendar is an effective way to communicate designated work times.
Companies should also explore options that allow their IT team to
design a workplace-messaging system that is conducive to their
employees on-the-clock and off-the-clock needs.

ORGANIZE SMALLER MEETUPS
Logging into an online meeting that involves dozens of face tiles

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Constant online meetings/communication can start to wear on employees.
These tips will help people cope with today's remote-work environment.

can be overwhelming. Remote workers see a great need for smaller
meetups for specific teams and cohorts. Ending a large meeting with
smaller breakout sessions can be a good bridge to allow employees
to talk through company news and updates outside of a companywide
setting.

RECOGNIZE PERSONAL DYNAMICS
Check in with your employees, especially those who have communicated life changes such as a new baby or an ill family member.
It's also necessary to check on employees who aren't sending any
distress signals to make sure they're functioning well. Create a culture
that embraces the fact that people have children, spouses, and even
pets who might make an appearance on a call, or that personal obligations may require an occasional shift in schedule.

RECOGNIZE CHALLENGES
Many of us will be working remotely for the near future. There is a
range of ways to tackle the challenges, from process tweaks to technological improvements. While productivity is key, it can't be achieved
with a team core that is burned out, lacking passion, and looking for
a way out. Make sure your employees are the most recognized and
celebrated component of your company. EP

Learn more at mattermost.com

EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |

3/30/21 9:47 AM

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Efficient Plant April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant April 2021