How we communicate with our co-workers can drastically impact our productivity, increase teamwork, and improve overall happiness on the job. The COVID-19 changes we’ve seen to where, when, and how we work have also changed the typical office communication methods in 2021. That’s why we’ve outlined 3 quick tips that you can implement in your job that will help you get more done and improve your relations with your co-workers.

1. Schedule one-on-one meetings with your direct reports or managers (even virtually)

Many employees are working from home or in a hybrid work model, where they go into the office 2-3 days per week at scheduled times. This can make scheduling meetings more difficult and consistent communication harder to manage. Even if you need to use virtual meeting software, scheduling a one-on-one meeting with your direct report every week at the same time can help align priorities, provide time to answer outstanding questions, and can elevate a sense camaraderie at work.

2. Practice proper email etiquette

Even with recent chat applications such as Microsoft Teams and Slack being used regularly in the workplace, email is still a crucial part of corporate work. How can you make your emails more impactful and convey what you need your recipient to know? Here are a few quick tips from Harvard Business Review:

• Curate and focus your recipient list before you hit send. Does everyone really need to be on the thread? Remove anyone unnecessary; they can always be added later.

• Write succinctly and in an organized fashion. The content of every message should be clear and specific: What's the question, the request you need approved, or the information you need to deliver?

• Apply situational awareness. Ask yourself: Does this conversation really need to happen over email? Could it be a phone or video call instead? Many messages can be deferred until the next casual conversation or routine scheduled meeting.

3. Over-communicate: use all the tools at your disposal to keep your team in the loop

The mixture of in-person meetings and remote work can cause some communications to fall through the cracks. Make sure you’re taking advantage all the tools (virtual and physical) that can help keep your team informed.

Meeting notes: When meeting in-person or in a virtual meeting, have a participant take detailed notes so they can be shared after the meeting via email to all participants. Make sure to include those who couldn’t make it in the recipient section.

Instant chat tools: Chat tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack can help you get an immediate answer to a quick question or share breaking updates with your team. Think of it as an alternative to the cross-cubicle conversation or the quick office visit.

Virtual meetings: Virtual meetings aren’t just for big company meetings or interviews. Brief team meetings scheduled on Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom can be an effective way to clearly convey goals and share information with your team that is as close to an in-person meeting as you can get.

Try these communication tips in your workflow

Start implementing these communication methods in your day-to-day. We hope you will see an improvement to your workflow and feel more confident about working with others. Are you looking to try these communication tips in a new work environment? We would be happy to help. Send your resume to resumes@staffinsight.net or check out our latest job opportunities on our website.