Want to improve your internal and remote employee collaboration? This guide is exactly what your company needs, whether you’re a small start-up or an international organization.
The past few years have been a rocky road for your business, right? That’s probably an understatement.
Since 2020, most businesses have had to deal with a whole host of problems.
COVID-19. Economic struggles. Rising gas prices. A recession. The list is never-ending.
Arguably, one of the trickiest problems has been retaining employees and keeping collaboration levels high within the company.
For some, this has been an impossible problem. For others, it’s been an interesting challenge to tackle and conquer.
If your company is looking to boost your employee collaboration levels (and ultimately take them to new heights), then you might be interested in the tips and tricks discussed directly below. Make sure to read them carefully, though, as each detail is as important as the next.
1. Use an Intranet in the Workplace
Let’s start with a relatively straightforward piece of advice to improve collaboration: use an intranet in the workplace.
What exactly is an intranet?
An intranet is a private network within a company that can only be accessed by employees.
The intranet itself can be used for a boatload of different tasks, such as:
- Sharing important information
- Group work and conferences
- Improved document control
- Employee training
- Knowledge supplementation
Also, it’s worth mentioning that you can use your intranet to train future employees and even track their progress levels and online activity. If you’re passionate about employee training, make sure to bear this in mind.
Essentially, in the modern world, an intranet network is something that a company can’t operate without if it truly wants to have good employee collaboration levels.
To get started, here are some intranet homepage examples to look at. They should provide you with the inspiration you need to go ahead and get your intranet network fired up.
2. Create ‘Brainstorming’ Spaces
If you and your teams work in a big office space, then it’s a good idea to modernize it by adding brainstorming spaces or corners. Here, employees can gather in groups around tables to discuss ideas and plans for future projects, such as marketing campaigns and new products.
In your brainstorming spaces, it’s recommended that you include modern tech, such as work tablets and digital whiteboards. This way, employees will be able to have fun whilst working to the highest possible standard that they can.
Having brainstorming spaces within your office will also be a major attraction point for new hires in the future, as you’ll be able to showcase to them that you care about creative freedom.
Once your brainstorming spaces have been implemented, you’ll quickly see the positive benefits that come with them. Plus, if your office isn’t big enough to have brainstorming spaces, then you can still provide your employees with brainstorming technology that they can then use whilst at their desks.
3. Allow Remote Work
Depending on their style and personality type, some employees find that they collaborate best when working remotely.
If a large portion of your employees fall under this category, then it might be a good idea to allow them to work remotely on certain days of the week. You could even test this out on a trial basis to see whether it has a positive or negative impact on their work output. If you witness better overall collaboration efforts, then you could make your hybrid work model permanent.
Another benefit of doing this is that it will allow you to hire employees from other locations (different cities and different countries), which could also help contribute to better collaboration across your company network.
4. Embrace ‘The Cloud’
Cloud technology has truly taken over the world of business.
Now, almost all-size companies – from the likes of Apple and Microsoft to small, local organizations – have started to use cloud technology. It’s the present and (most importantly) the future. The days of hardware will soon come to an end as everything becomes internet based.
If you don’t know what cloud technology is, don’t worry – you’ve already used it before. Essentially, it’s when you use computing services over the internet.
Take Microsoft Teams, for example, which is an excellent cloud-based app that requires zero hardware. With an app like Microsoft Teams, your employees can:
- Hold virtual conferences with each other whilst in different locations
- Ditch paper documents and deal with everything online
- Quickly send and receive important messages
The sooner you embrace the cloud, the better your employee collaboration will be – make no doubt about it.
Also, here’s something important to remember: without being cloud-competent, your company will struggle if you allow employees to work remotely. This is because employees won’t have the necessary cloud tools to work and communicate with each other from home. Make sure to remember this before implementing any sort of hybrid work model.
5. Encourage Socializing and Interaction
When it comes to the social aspect of the workplace, there’s a fine balance to be found. Once you find the right balance, then you’ve won half of the battle.
Firstly, you need to encourage socializing and interaction – particularly during breaks in the day. This way, employees can form stronger bonds with each other which will then (hopefully) transfer over to their work.
Also, every month or so, it’s highly recommended that you hold a social event for your employees, such as going out for a team meal. This is something that your employees will appreciate.
Additionally, consider rewarding customized trophies to top performers during these social events to show appreciation for their hard work and contributions to the company. This will boost morale and incentivize the team to continue their excellent work.
Conclusion
Above are just a handful of ways you can improve employee collaboration within your company. Remember, excellent employee collaboration can’t be achieved overnight. Even the likes of Microsoft have worked tirelessly to create an environment for their employees that encourages free-flowing collaboration and communication.
With plenty of time (and the implementation of the tips above), you’ll soon get there. Plus, once collaboration becomes an integral part of your company culture, the sky is truly the limit.
