What tools and platforms support remote culture?

Communication is one key driver to sustain a remote team, the bane of their effective operation and organizational growth depends on their communication. Different tools support different communication depending on the content and purpose of the communication. Email, Zoom, WhatsApp are all forms of communication tool that can be used for different purpose. Any tool that aligns with your communication culture is good to explore, free or premium, determine the best features for your remote team.

In a remote team, used email, messaging, and video calls wisely to keep communication clear and helpful, avoiding stress and overload.

It is essential to ensure that communication tools used by remote workers and the policies mandating their use are accessible and functional for employees with diverse cognitive identities and learning styles. By doing so, organizations can foster an equitable work environment where all employees can fully participate and contribute. To achieve this, prioritize accessibility features such as screen reader compatibility, closed captioning, and customizable display settings in communication tools. Additionally, organizations should establish clear policies to emphasize the importance of accommodating cognitive identities and learning styles, providing training and support to employees, and regularly seeking feedback to improve accessibility.

After working at several remote companies, I believe that there is a sweet spot, that is always moving and has some inherent tension, between complete freedom for all employees to use communication tools as they wish and for organizations to bring a structure or recommended approach. All companies need to realize that these tools need to have intentionality in order to have value. Ideas: is there an all company chat? Who gets to post in it? For smaller teams, what are the participation expectations? What happens if no one uses it…does it matter? How can we tell people to go ahead and build their own communities and points of connection?

For us, Miro works great in collaboration! Miro is a digital whiteboard to collaboratively work on topics interactively. It serves as a versatile collaboration tool, allowing participants to collectively brainstorm, visualize ideas, and contribute collaboratively in real-time during virtual workshops. The moderator will provide you with a link during the virtual workshop, granting you access to the whiteboard.

Uma boa prática é selecionar ferramentas de colaboração que se alinhem ao estilo e necessidades da equipe. Utilize sistemas de gerenciamento de projetos como Trello ou Asana para promover transparência e responsabilidade. Plataformas de compartilhamento de documentos, como Google Drive ou SharePoint, garantem consistência e acessibilidade, enquanto ferramentas de brainstorming como Miro ou Mural ajudam na geração de ideias. Certifique-se de estabelecer regras claras para uso e segurança, mantendo a ordem e a eficiência no trabalho remoto.

For teamwork, the right tools are key. Project management systems are transparent but can be complex, document sharing is accessible but can get messy, and brainstorming is creative but can be chaotic.

The advantages of these tools and platforms are evident in enhanced communication, streamlined workflows, and increased flexibility, allowing teams to work seamlessly from anywhere. However, challenges include potential security concerns, overreliance on digital communication, and a learning curve when implementing new tools.

Remote culture keeps teams connected online. Tools help, but they must be used wisely. Success depends on the right mindset, making remote work meaningful and positive.

My company uses Zoom and we've started a monthly social event where we come together as a team to play games and have fun. I believe that this initiative not only promotes team bonding but also helps create a positive and engaging remote work culture.

Celebrating the lives of remote employees and their families can reduce remoteness. How about letting everyone know that Jack in Puerto Rico became a father yesterday; post a photo of the newborn with the employee’s permission ; Susan earned a certificate in her domain last week; post a couple of photos of John and Mary’s wedding. Describe the fabulous service recovery Ashok engineered which turned an angry customer into a devout supporter. Sharing such information binds people and helps people deal with remoteness. Set up a weekly State of the Organization (SOTO) update where management candidly (no spinning wheels) shares failures and successes without blaming anyone. These actions bring people closer, even the ones who are remote.

This set of three categories of 'tools and platforms' felt overly simplified to me and too broad. After some additional reflection, I think this is a great and simple summation. I would add that all three contribute to CONNECTION. That this could be the umbrella to consider - how do we foster opportunities that create connection while working remotely? Communication, collaboration and culture are paths to that outcome. As noted in this forum, the planned time for games is a great example of creating a different kind of connection using these tools. I'm listening to THE EXTENDED MIND by Annie Murphy Paul and these links to how we best learn and think are even more challenging when remote (e.g. gestures.)

Remote work is increasingly prevalent in modern work environments. Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Trello, and Asana support remote work by providing unique features for seamless collaboration. While these tools can present challenges, such as security concerns and a learning curve, proper training and support can help teams overcome these obstacles and benefit from enhanced communication and efficient collaboration from anywhere.