Remote working has grown substantially since the first quarter of 2020. A recent study by Upwork reveals that 26% of the American workforce will be working remotely through 2021. Remote working became a crucial initiative that helped several organizations keep things running through multiple lockdowns. It also provides several benefits for productivity and the work-life balance of staff.
But the new work model also introduces several remote work communication challenges between managers and teams. This blog shares common communication gaps that have emerged due to remote work arrangements and a lack of in-person workplace arrangements. We will also examine how in-person work arrangements in a co-working space, like Quest Workspaces, can reduce or eliminate communication gaps.
6 common remote work communication challenges and how to solve them with co-working spaces
Lack of direct and emotional communication
Apart from loneliness and distractions at home, communication remains a crucial challenge in remote working. A recent study reveals that 70% of work-from-home employees find it quite challenging to collaborate and communicate effectively with other teams. Vital elements of emotional communication such as facial expressions and tonal variation are quite hard to catch through phones, emails, and screens, especially with a bad internet connection.
With co-working spaces such as Quest Workspace, teams can communicate in person, meaning they leverage non-verbal communication to convey and exchange information clearly. Non-verbal communication help improves our ability to relate, engage and establish meaningful interactions with others.
Infrequent or no feedback
Remote working has made it challenging for employees to give timely feedback on their workplace experiences and suggestions for improvement. When this opportunity is not provided, teams often feel like their voices are unheard or valued. This eventually translates to growing frustration, poor work morale, repeated mistakes, and even higher employee turnover.
Meetings in person in a co-working space allow employees to contribute input to company strategies. Managers can use face-to-face communication as an opportunity to get crucial feedback and ensure there is a clear understanding of critical issues.
Lack of trust and cohesion
Remote work can harm trust. When teams work apart, the frequency and quality of communications reduce substantially due to fewer daily interactions and face-to-face communication. This makes it quite hard to develop bonding and seamless cohesion within a group. Co-working spaces allow leaders to reset and rebuild employee trust through effective communication. The face-to-face interaction in co-working spaces allows them to share crucial information like company strategy, explain it clearly, and answer questions honestly. Besides, when teams and managers interact directly through face-to-face communication, it helps them share experiences that foster healthy workplace cohesion.
Miscommunication
Miscommunication is one of the leading causes of inefficiency in the workplace. Ideally, miscommunications occur when the intended message is not successfully relayed across the team. In remote work environments, most of these miscommunication issues relate to digital communication and the many ways they can be interpreted. Remote teams rely primarily on indirect communication channels such as emails and chats making them more prone to miscommunication.
Effective communication heavily relies on other non-verbal communication skills present in in-person communication. With co-working solutions, members get opportunities to explain the entire project, answer all questions and get feedback in a single face-to-face meeting. This ensures all team members are on the same page, thereby eliminating the risks of miscommunications.
Disconnection
Remote teams often feel disconnected because they rarely see their colleagues. Working from home makes it more challenging for teams to foster camaraderie because team bonding often happens during informal communication and off-work interactions like when having lunch together.
In co-working spaces, employees interact directly with colleagues through face-to-face communication to help them create shared experiences that enhance future communication. It also helps foster camaraderie, which is the basis of effective working relationships.
Lack of Collaboration
Lack of collaboration occurs when team members fail to engage in direct conversations actively. A Microsoft research established that collaboration networks within organizations reduced substantially with the onset of remote work, and technology could not fill the gap. Effective communication is the key to enhancing remote team collaboration, yet face-to-face communication may not be viable in remote working environments.
Co-working spaces have dedicated meeting rooms for face-to-face interactions. These spaces encourage active engagement and participation in a way emails and other forms of digital communication cannot. The success of face-to-face meetings goes a long way in boosting team collaborations.
Optimize your team's communication with Quest Workspace solutions
Excellent workplace communication is integral to running a thriving business. Unfortunately, the quick adoption of remote working arrangements has resulted in detrimental communication gaps that organizations often struggle to address.
An effective way to encourage healthy team communication without compromising on the flexibility of the remote work model is by integrating co-working spaces such as Quest Workspaces. At Quest Workspaces, we provide an environment where collaboration and communication drive the energy you need for business growth. Contact us today to view a location near you.
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