Thanks to the technological advancement and the virus that practically kept us all confined to our homes, the global employment scenario has undergone a perceptible change. A decade before, the possibility of working remotely on any role was considered near-impossible or downright inconvenient for many sectors. However, the last two years saw phenomenal growth in working from home opportunities. One thing that has come out of all this is the acceptance that people can work from home, and do not need to rush out every day to get the job done.
People from software to retail and any sector you can think of were exploring tools to make 'remote working a success. Although technology has helped us create harmonious working from our 'home offices', we all must agree that one of the significant challenges of remote working is establishing effective communication.
In our Twitter Space talk with Maulik Sailor, Co-founder of Notchup, we explore the essentialities of engaging teams in active connection and information sharing at all times. The idea is to understand the importance of everyday communications between the 'borderless, remote-working teams. As an expert and a pacesetter in remote working, Maulik answers a few very significant questions such as:
Why is communication vital for a borderless team?
Communication is nothing but an interchange of information that takes place every day, and more so when working together on a project. It becomes all the more significant when working in a setup where the team members operate from across the borders and all-round the globe. And, not just a borderless team, but for every arrangement, however different they are, interchange of information is vital.
The reason is that people work in different time zones and cannot walk into a team member's cabin to clarify a doubt. Maulik believes communication is crucial, especially in an asynchronous working environment. With everyone working in different time zones and entirely unknown areas, exchanging essential knowledge about the project becomes imperative for the endeavor's success.
How can we effectively keep the conversation channels open?
While keeping the information flowing, creating a framework that works for a team is also essential. Every team and workplace is unique and comes with myriad challenges. So, our speaker recommends some precise pointers that can help in linking the dots efficiently:
Even if two setups work remotely, it does not necessarily mean they operate on a one-role/one framework. Each workplace is different, so there is a need to create an effective communication structure. According to Maulik, there is a need to analyze challenges and design a kind of structure for communications, intra-and inter-team, for free flow of information at all times.
A remote workplace can pick a communication model that works best for their mode of working. And, with structure, one can also reduce the response time from the other team member. Several tools, such as Scrum, emails, Slack, char, and many more, are available today to create a practical communication framework.
One of the suggestions that Maulik gives for borderless teams is to ask close-ended questions to avoid delays. Framing questions correctly and not using open-ended ones can minimize setbacks and maximize productivity. Apart from asking specific questions to get appropriate answers, one can also indicate the criticality when requesting a detail to speed up our work. Maulik also points out the significance of creating a pattern in communication to reduce the time spent gathering or supplying information in a remote team.
Maulik narrates how tools like Scrum are not just about reporting to your seniors but about giving daily updates about your work/project. Establishing a work pattern can go a long way in making communications effective. With an established routine and regular calls fixed at the same time of the day, team members can come together to discuss challenges and updates on the project. Setting a pattern helps get everyone on the same page at all times and, therefore, aids in an organized workflow. While fixing routines, Maulik talks about how realizing the barriers to working from different parts of the globe can help.
Even when working online, teams sometimes face problems like the availability of old data or an essential update on a finished project, and so on. According to Maulik, using cloud storage facilities with restricted team access can remove the barriers to information sharing. With easy access to data, the teams can coordinate and work relatively without time delays. In the speaker's opinion, such passive communication can limit the impediments in remote working environments.
Imagine a scenario when you are in a crucial meeting with the client and your internet plays up. While you lose connection, your team is struggling to explain your part to keep things going with the client. Maulik feels such scenarios are common and can create friction and unnecessary stress. It is impossible to avoid it, but one can always work on alternatives. Like, he suggests simple solutions, such as disconnecting devices that can eat up your internet bandwidth or plugging into two devices to avoid disruptions. Also, sharing your information with your teammates through written communication can help them understand what you want to convey.
Apart from all the above noteworthy suggestions, Maulik signs off with the message that establishing patterns in life and work can go a long way in making things efficient. Organizing work can not only give us more time but also can increase productivity.
Maulik Sailor is the founder and CEO of Notchup. Maulik’s deep-seated passion and love for entrepreneurship have motivated him to create Innovify and Notchup. He has rich experience working with world-class industry leaders like Nokia, Microsoft, the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Betfair, and Visa.
With Innovify and Notchup, Maulik plans to pioneer an innovative process connecting tech teams and organizations to minimize downtime and save costs.
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