How Your Organization Can Communicate Effectively Remotely

Ever been annoyed because your coworkers keep pinging you when your account clearly says you’re busy? You’re not the only one, according to a 2007 study at the University of Illinois, calling or even messaging someone at an inconvenient time not only makes people mad, it can also reduce productivity (but you probably didn’t need a study to know that).

Remote work has drastically improved productivity for many workspaces. People waste less time on commutes and can work around the clock to meet deadlines wherever they are. It’s the reason why at Virtual Internships we think it’s here to stay.

But in today’s remote office we’ve been given a lot of new tools quickly. And sometimes communication efficiency breaks down because it’s hard to know the availability of others.

We cannot physically see each other and communications tabs on messaging platforms frequently can only be set to “available” or “unavailable”. “In the office” or “out of the office.”

Every time they decide to communicate, remote workers have to ask themselves:

• At what point is a task large enough that it requires a verbal meeting?
• When someone lists themselves online as busy, are they really busy?
• Which form of communication is best for my request?
• Can I rely on my coworkers to answer my requests in an emergency?

There are a growing number of studies documenting decision fatigue’s effects on productivity in the workplace. While the above issues may seem small, improperly using these tools could become major roadblocks to transitioning to remote. We wanted to share a bit about what experts in communications are saying about managing remote tools.

Managing availability using remote tools

Having employees manage their own availability doesn’t necessarily solve the problem of work interruptions.

In a 2006 study by the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, researchers tracked workers who controlled their own availability on their mobile phones. They would turn their phones off whenever they were busy or when available.

It revealed several telling issues. Subjects often either forgot their phone was off when they resumed normal work or they left it on when they meant to shut it off. Not only did the subjects often get interrupted when they were in the middle of other tasks, they also made themselves uncontactable during emergencies when they chose to shut their phones off.

“By applying a single rule for all incoming calls, the rule ignores other important factors, such as the identity of the caller and urgency of the call.”

– AVRAHAMI, GERGLE, HUDSON, KIESLER (2006)

The same study found perceived urgency played a big role in if receivers answered calls. All subjects generally agreed whether or not a call was urgent and receivers were more than happy to interrupt their work for an emergency. But screening calls on one end would cause all calls to be blocked no matter the urgency. That’s not good for communication either.

So how can your organization arrange communication to minimize disruption but also allow for smooth emergency communications?

How to maximize remote productivity in your workplace

Fixing how you manage your remote communication to be both productive and agile may be as simple as setting a couple of ground rules for your organization to follow.

In a 2015 interview for the Washington Post, an efficiency expert named Edward G. Brown who works with companies like Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and Citiban outlined a plan he came up with called a Time Lock.

A Time Lock is an agreed-upon time where workers verbally agree to only interrupt if there is an emergency. According to Brown, his clients reported productivity shooting up as much as 40 to 60 percent once these Time Locks were implemented.

Therefore, some easy steps you could take as a manager to start having more productive remote working hours include:

• Defining urgency. Clearly map out for employees a way to determine how urgent their request is. Then give them clear instructions on which form of communication is required based on that urgency.
• Making information attainable. Create an easy-to-access employee database. This makes it easy for workers to check up on general information or project progress without sending disruptive messages.
• Scheduling time locks. Have employees – especially management – schedule time locks where they are only able to be contacted in the case of an emergency. Make these time locks public knowledge so the burden of time management is placed on everyone.

But how do you decide which communication channels are better for different types of communication?

Finding the right media mix for your organization

How many video meetings have you had to sit through that you feel should have been an email? Today with an increasing number of ways we share information and contact each other in the workplace, it’s easy to get wires crossed.

Our communication tools open up many great opportunities for efficient remote communications today. However, you need to consider the strengths of different media and how they fit into your organization for them to work effectively.

When to use video calls

Video calls are one of the best methods today for keeping the human element to your work. Many of us immediately gravitated towards this form of communication after the pandemic because what could replace face-to-face meetings better than a video call?

Video calls definitely help bridge the gap between remote employees and the rest of their team. However, they may not scratch the itch for social interaction as well as you might think. The numerous articles out there on Zoom fatigue today seem to prove that.

Consider video calls for:

• Small meetings and group discussions.
• In-depth one-on-one meetings.
• Virtual team-building sessions.

When to use email

Email was one of the first ways we communicated online and it’s still one of the most effective. Its optimization for long, text-based messages and message organization make it a great tool to communicate and share complex data today. Plus, everyone has one. 

However, email today may not be the best choice today for delivering urgent information. Especially because most businesses now rely on messenger apps for instant notifications.

Consider email for:

• Project briefings: Don’t only brief on chat or by phone.
• Company announcements: Posting company announcements on the messenger feed is great too, but they can be lost easily. Anything important should be posted via email.
• Scheduling meetings.

When to make a phone call

For a long time, the phone call was king for remote communication. Today, especially with the invention of caller ID, calls are a great way to relay information and interact more intimately with coworkers.

A quick phone call allows for faster communication with less room for misinterpretation than emails and messenger apps. They’re less stressful than a video call too since you don’t need to make yourself presentable for the camera to make one.

Consider phone calls for:

• Quick one-on-one exchanges of information. 
• Large group meetings.
• Informal chats with coworkers.

When to use a company messenger app

Company messenger apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams have suddenly taken over the workplace. It’s easy to see why they are popular, they make it easy for employees to quickly and organically communicate online without the pressures of a phone or video call. Better yet, all conversations are recorded and can be searched for future reference.

Consider messenger apps for:

• Passive exchanges of non-urgent information.
• Filling in small details on a project quickly.
• Transferring media quickly.
• Group editing, brainstorming.
• Nailing down logistical information like meeting times/locations.
• Fun banter.

Bottom line: keep communications simple

If you get your communications right, then the potential efficiency of your remote workflow is practically limitless. That’s why it’s important that any company switching to remote work clearly defines which kinds of content go over which channels.

Strong remote communication also creates a whole new way of thinking about employment. In fact, one of the biggest ways remote work is helping businesses is by making internships increasingly desirable. Both for businesses and interns.

How your business can take advantage of remote work with a virtual intern

Today even a small business can benefit from hiring a remote intern. A virtual intern working with your organization online can keep you vibrant and upskilled without large financial or time commitments.

A virtual internship can also be a pipeline to talented new hires for positions you may not even know you need. Or it could be a way for your organization to experiment with remote work before moving into it. Either way, we want to help you:

At Virtual Internships, we partner with leading universities and educational institutions worldwide to inject fresh talent into the workforce. And we’re looking for new organizations to join our growing list of partners forging the way into the new era of work.

When you partner with us, we help you find interns, create your own virtual internship, and manage interns all at no cost to you. All you need to do is sign up.