Overcoming Communication Challenges on Remote Teams

The rise of remote work has created a lot of benefits for workers and the organizations that employ them. However, it’s also created plenty of unique challenges.

To start, 58% of managers believe that their hybrid and remote working employees are missing out on impromptu or informal feedback and development opportunities. Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the communication challenges remote teams face.

The good news is that there’s also been a lot of progress and innovation since the widespread transition to remote work first began. 

To help you empower your remote workers and ensure effective team communication, here is what you should know about overcoming communication challenges on remote teams.

Common communication challenges

Remote work communication presents several challenges that can hinder collaboration and keep remote team members from feeling connected. If not addressed, these issues can make remote workers feel excluded or ‘othered’, even if the issue is outside of their control.

The good news is that there are effective workarounds to these communication challenges. Here are some of the biggest communication obstacles that remote work creates and the things that remote workers need to overcome them.

Time zone differences

When team members are spread across different time zones, things like scheduling meetings and coordinating work can become challenging. After all, prime work hours for one employee might be the dead of night for another.

Along with difficulty synchronizing schedules, this issue can also lead to employees feeling isolated and excluded. This is especially common for employees who are located much farther away than the majority of the team.

Rotating meeting times and offering flexible scheduling is one way to accommodate employees in different time zones. Asynchronous communication is another option to consider, since it allows employees to communicate without having to be online at the same time.

Lack of nonverbal cues

The accuracy and meaning of Albert Mehrabian’s infamous 55/38/7 study on body language are still hotly debated. But there’s no doubt that nonverbal cues are a significant factor in communication. When face-to-face communication isn’t an option, remote employees can miss out on a lot of these nonverbal cues.

The simplest way to solve this issue is to use video conferencing software like Zoom instead of voice-only phone calls or written communication. 

Camera-on meetings are especially helpful when discussing more complex topics or those more prone to misinterpretation. Using video chat tools will allow team members to communicate in essentially the same way as they would in person and pick up on nonverbal cues.

For written messages, be sure to encourage team members to add context and explain their thoughts thoroughly and clearly to avoid any miscommunication or confusion.

Technical issues

Whether it’s instant messaging, video conferencing, or any other communication channel, remote employees are totally reliant on technology for clear and effective communication. And when these communication tools don’t work like they’re supposed to, it creates problems.

Things like poor internet connections, software glitches, and hardware malfunctions are bound to happen. However, they can leave team members temporarily unable to communicate using the apps and collaboration tools that the team relies on.

Providing technical support to help team members work through any issues they’re experiencing is one important way to address this challenge. It’s also a good idea to provide backup communication channels that team members can use in the event of technical difficulties.

Language barriers

Remote work allows companies to employ talent from all over the world, which is incredible. But it also means that you may have team members with varying levels of proficiency with the English language. 

It’s easy to see how these language barriers can lead to miscommunication, as well as team members feeling excluded. If you employ any remote workers who seem to have trouble communicating due to a different native language than the rest of the team, there are ways you can help.

For example, training and access to resources explaining industry jargon can help them improve their communication skills. Camera-on meetings are also useful here, as nonverbal cues can help streamline communication and understanding.

You should also encourage team members to communicate clearly and concisely, avoiding idioms or complex terminology that may be difficult for non-native speakers to understand.

Strategies for solving communication challenges

We’ve already looked at ways to directly address some of the more specific communication challenges of remote work, but what about the broader challenges?

Compared to in-office employees who share a physical workspace, remote workers typically don’t have the same opportunities to socialize and form team bonds. And when it comes to things like employee engagement and even wellbeing, this human element of work is important.

To overcome some of these broader communication issues that a lack of face-to-face interactions can create, here are four strategies you can use.

Virtual team building activities

Team building exercises help employees form meaningful bonds with their fellow team members and are an excellent way to strengthen company culture. If you want to engage remote employees and enable them to enjoy these same benefits, there are several types of virtual team-building activities you can use.

Activities like virtual coffee breaks or team trivia sessions hosted via video conferencing allow remote workers to interact casually and get to know each other better. You can also host virtual games like online escape rooms or scavenger hunts to get team members working together in a fun and light-hearted environment.

Creating opportunities for ‘watercooler talk’

Devising opportunities for casual conversations helps you recreate the social atmosphere of a traditional workplace setting.

One way to do this is to set up virtual ‘watercooler’ channels or chat groups where employees are encouraged to talk about things not related to work. Another idea is to schedule regular virtual happy hours or informal video calls where team members can socialize and unwind.

By providing these opportunities for informal conversation, you can improve employee satisfaction and create a more positive workplace culture.

Prioritizing 1:1s and calls over written communication
Written communication has its place, but you shouldn’t rely on it completely when communicating with remote team members. Instead, prioritize 1:1s and calls whenever you can.

Encouraging managers to schedule regular one-on-one check-ins with their team members allows for more personalized communication. It provides an opportunity for feedback and support and helps employees feel valued and heard. 

Additionally, replacing lengthy email chains with quick video calls will help streamline communication and reduce misunderstandings between team members.

Giving recognition in creative ways
According to Gallup, employees who receive great recognition are 20x more likely to be engaged than employees who do not. But compared to in-office employees, recognizing remote employees often requires a little more creativity.

Hosting virtual award ceremonies or other recognition events is one great option to consider. Another powerful strategy is to use a platform like Workvivo to facilitate a peer-to-peer recognition program where employees can give kudos to their coworkers with badges or short messages.

Even these small tokens of recognition can go a long way, and companies that give recognition generously tend to have more motivated, engaged, and satisfied employees.

Measuring employee satisfaction on remote teams

Employee satisfaction isn’t always an easy thing to measure. After all, not every employee is going to feel comfortable raising their hand and telling you exactly what they think during a feedback session.

Accurately evaluating employee satisfaction often requires a combination of anonymous feedback channels and data analytics. With that in mind, here are three effective strategies you can use to measure employee satisfaction on remote teams.

Creating feedback loops through pulse surveys

Pulse surveys allow employees to quickly and anonymously submit their feedback on a wide range of topics. This aligns perfectly with the psychology of remote working, since it lets employees submit honest feedback without any fear of judgment or repercussions.

Companies that implement feedback loops through pulse surveys often enjoy access to much richer insights than those that don’t. Along with generating valuable insights, pulse surveys also help employees feel valued and heard, which boosts engagement and employee satisfaction.

Fostering connection through an employee intranet

A modern social intranet like Workvivo is a powerful tool for connecting remote workers. With Workvivo, remote workers can easily access resources, communicate with their team members, and much more. They’ll even get a personalized feed of social posts from company leaders and coworkers. 

Along with fostering connection, an employee intranet is also an effective tool for measuring employee satisfaction. For example, companies can use Workvivo’s pulse surveys and advanced data analytics features to track a broad range of employee satisfaction metrics.

Offering learning and development opportunities

Providing remote employees with learning and development opportunities is a great way to boost employee satisfaction while also honing the skills of your workforce. In addition, mentorship and training programs can help forge stronger bonds between teams and coworkers. 

In some cases, it can create opportunities for collecting employee feedback as well. By making two-way feedback a part of learning and development opportunities, you can gain a lot of valuable insights into employee satisfaction.

Overcome your communication challenges and connect your remote team with Workvivo

The benefits of remote work are clear, but it can also lead to communication challenges that companies find difficult to overcome. By using the strategies outlined in this article, you can maximize the potential of your remote workforce while minimizing the drawbacks that the remote work model presents.

If you’re looking for a remote work communication solution that includes real-time messaging, informal socialization spaces, peer-to-peer recognition, pulse surveys, and more, then Workvivo is the perfect tool for you! 

With Workvivo’s modern social intranet, you can connect remote workers like never before and create a digital workspace that offers all the advantages of a traditional office setting.

Sign up for a free demo of Workvivo today to eliminate communication challenges and empower your remote teams!