Category Archives: Remote Workplace

How to Reduce Confusion When Communicating Virtually

Posted on by Alex Sanders
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For all of the good that comes with running a remote business or virtual team, there are a number of unique challenges that emerge when you’re no longer interacting with your people face to face. Confusion and miscommunication are chief among these issues.

3 Tactics for Reducing and Avoiding Confusion

Virtual teams are great. Not only do they provide a tremendous amount of flexibility, but they also allow each member of the team to work in an environment that’s comfortable and suited to their own needs. However, ignoring the shortcomings of virtual teams does everyone a disservice.

If you want your business to run as smoothly as possible, you need to be forthcoming about the challenges that exist with communicating 100 percent virtually. More specifically, you have to address the issue of confusion and the friction that exists when communicating tasks, facilitating feedback loops, or managing projects.

While nothing can replace the clarity of face-to-face interactions with your team, there are ways you can reduce confusion in a virtual setting and enjoy optimum productivity and efficiency. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Set Ground Rules

The first step is to establish clear and precise guidelines for how team members are to communicate with one another. This might seem like such an obvious thing, but the reality is that everyone has their own preferred methods and modes. By creating ground rules, so to speak, you cultivate consistency and pave the way for less confusion.

For example, how should new assignments be distributed? (Is the project manager supposed to send an email, make a phone call, or schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss?)

Or what about simple details like receiving a message on Slack? (Consider creating a universal symbol of acknowledgment that the message has been received and read – such as a checkmark or thumbs up.)

Little details like these can help your team avoid the issues that so-often plague virtual teams and put a chokehold on productivity. 

2. Choose the Right Medium

Be intentional with the various forms of communication you allow in your business. While there is no shortage of options, some solutions are much better than others – particularly when clarity is the primary objective.

  • Email: Good for non-urgent messages where you want to document something and/or provide thorough detail. Also great for sending large attachments and links that someone needs to open on their computer.
  • SMS: Designed for short and concise messages. Ideal when you want to get straight to the point. SMS emphasizes clarity by forcing you to strip out any filler language and focus on the “meat” of the issue.
  • Video conferencing: If you have something important to discuss with a group of three or more, a quick video conference can help you get on the same page with one another. One of the biggest benefits is the ability to see body language.
  • Voice call: Looking for the quickest possible way to communicate an idea without the possibility of the meaning being misconstrued in a text format? A voice call allows you to explain yourself and leverage inflection and tone to ensure complete clarity. 

There’s a time and a place for each of these modes of communication. The important thing is that you set clear rules on when each is preferred so that your team knows what to do in any situation.

3. Practice Empathy

If you want to reduce confusion, you (and your team) must learn to be empathetic with the person you’re communicating with.

“We often think that others are more in sync with what we’re thinking than they really are. The obvious fix for this illusion is greater empathy,” Harvard Business Review mentions. “Put yourself in the position of the other person. Actually visualize that individual in his office as you send him an email.”

Remember that simple details like grammar and spelling can make a huge difference. Always read your message prior to identify issues like misplaced commas, misspelled words, missing words, etc. Correcting an issue like this upfront can prevent unnecessary back-and-forth.

Restore Clarity in Your Organization

A healthy amount of clarity within your organization can help you avoid and overcome a litany of issues that so often plague virtual teams. By emphasizing frictionless communication, you’ll find it possible to get more done in less time (and with better quality). 

Now’s the time to step up and embrace this all-important challenge of restoring clarity to your business. Which tips will you put into action first?

Key Features to Look for When Buying Headphones

Posted on by Charlene Brown
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One of the best ways to cancel the world around you is to put the headphones on and press play. Whether you listen to your favorite band or some kind of podcast, you will be able to relax and enjoy this part of your day. Or you simply want to concentrate on your work and eliminate the chatter of coworkers around you.

Just like with the rest of tech gadgets, making a decision which headphones will be a perfect fit for you is not necessarily easy. There is a wide variety of models to choose from and the price ranges also significantly very. Let’s see what are the most important things to look for in headphones.

Different Types

When it comes to models there are several things to take into consideration. Each type has its pros and cons and that will be able to help you decide which one is the best for you.

In-Ear Headphones/Earbuds

The greatest advantage of this type is that they are small which makes them portable. They don’t weigh a lot and don’t take up too much space. You can put them in your pocket or simply hang them around your neck. If you like to run or do any kind of exercise, they are going to be very practical for those occasions. Also, they are great for noise isolation.

However, due to the small drivers, they generate a sound of lower quality. And the most annoying part, the wires get easily tangled, and undoing this is quite a nerve-racking process.    

Wireless Earbuds

Just like the type above, these have all the same advantages plus one more. You will not have to think about tangled wires. However, they have the battery that needs to be recharged. Given the fact that these batteries are quite small, the recharge is going to be needed sooner rather than later.

In and Over-Ear Headphones  

If the size is not an issue, then these two types are going to be perfect for you. Although they are not as portable as the previous ones, they provide you with much better quality. Given the better sound, it’s not a surprise that prices are significantly higher.

Bluetooth Headphones

This is a bit of a controversial choice. Although sound quality is much better than several years ago and that there are no wires that can catch up on things, still there are some serious downsides to using them. The battery life depends on the size. Another important thing to think about is compatibility between your device and headphones.

Key Features to Think About

As we mentioned above, the sound quality will depend on the size of the drivers. So, if you want to have first-class sound, you will probably have to learn to deal with bulkier models.

Also, when it comes to sound, you should check out the specifications of the headphones and look for sensitivity. This is especially important for those who like to listen to the music a bit louder. In most cases, this is around 110dB/mW but if you find a model that’s visually amazing but sensitivity is 85dB/mW or lower, you should skip on those.

If you’re someone who likes to hear a strong bass, then look for frequency response. In most models, this characteristic is between 20 and 20000 Hz. However, for the bigger bass, you will need a wider range than this.

It’s important to learn the difference between noise isolation and cancelation. As stated by the experts at Head Phones Pro Review, these features will allow you to enjoy the music to the fullest. Although you will have to spend more money to get the best ones, it will be worth it. Both types have the same goal but they don’t work in the same way. The first one means there is a physical barrier between your eardrum and the outside world while the other one is working on eliminating unwanted noise by pushing away the outside sound waves.

Some headphones come with a built-in microphone and control module that will make your life much easier. With these features, you will not have to take your phone out of the pocket in order to manage your playlist or answer a phone call.

Given the time we spend with the headphones by our side, it’s important to choose the ones that suit your needs the best. These are the most important characteristics you need to keep in mind when you enter the store. To make a perfect choice, you will have to think about your personal preferences as well as your budget.    

How to Help Remote Workers Address Information Technology Issues

Posted on by Allen Brown
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The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic may have forced an employer like you to send your employees working from home. This might seem promising at first, at the apparent freedom it grants, but not until they encounter information technology issues. Without a helping hand and expertise from the IT department, they might find themselves lost in a daze. It is your duty to lend them support by teaching them technological independence.

Remote Working IT Issues

  1. Unstable or slow internet connection
  2. Low-resolution screens
  3. Unlimited distractions
  4. I.T illiteracy

Promote IT Literacy

Workers lacking experience with technology might feel prehistoric when faced with a maze of buttons to press. If you’re from a busy place like New York, switching modes of working is no easy ordeal, so expect first-timers to be clueless as newborns. They might seek help from IT support New York or similar businesses and websites that offer IT consultation and other services. Of course, this can’t be the case all the time, eventually, they have to be independent.

Going digital is now the new normal, but transitioning comes with its own set of challenges. The greatest barrier is IT illiteracy, so you have to work on educating them to ensure a productive workforce. And because you can’t keep watch on them physically, IT problems could go unresolved. If you equip them with the right knowledge and training, they could solve them unaided.

Less Is More

Teach your employees the virtue of simplicity. You don’t want to come across as overbearing when you load them with tasks whose deadlines they must chase. The solution to the tech problems aforementioned above lies in your hands. Bombarding workers with countless digital tools may only cause a decline in productivity. 

Choose wisely and unify digital platforms, and choose those that cater efficiently. The ideal tool grants workers flexible work schedules, offer high-quality video conferences and easy connectivity. Free them of headache from glitches and the unnecessary crowding of applications. 

Keep the number of gadgets and apps at a minimum. Having too much will only divert one’s attention to unimportant matters. Go for efficiency when evaluating options.

The Best Free Video Conferencing Apps

  1. Google Meet
  2. Zoom
  3. Skype

Limit Distractions

Because you can’t monitor them physically, distractions can siphon profit from squandered time. Workers might stray off duties and scroll mindlessly on social media instead. Remote workers have improvised workstations that, in most cases, are ineffective. You don’t want to add on the burden of workers resisting distractions.

Top Digital Distractions

  1. Social Media Sites
  2. Video Games
  3. Entertainment Websites

Staying indoors requires discipline in the use of technology and entertainment. You can sharpen the time-management skills of your workers by relying on apps. Likewise, this can increase their productivity by monitoring their performance.

The pandemic will bring about a radical shift in our workplaces and mold how we use technology. As a result, information technology issues will become more prevalent. Remote workers need to adapt quickly in order to sustain their business or company. You must assist them in every way possible to use technology as an effective tool for profit.