Every business needs teamwork. Regardless of industry, a company cannot thrive without successful collaboration in the workplace. Understanding how to effectively communicate is crucial, and the rising prevalence of virtual meetings has only complicated matters.
When the question of how to improve team communication and collaboration arises, there will be many answers. Some suggestions are better than others, but one of the most important morsels of wisdom to heed is to adapt to the changing times. Over the past two years, work-from-home and remote office operations have boomed in popularity. In fact, recent studies are showing that workers have a strong preference for telecommuting. Some sources have even suggested that companies failing to adapt to this demand are losing potential workers.
This presents businesses with a unique challenge: how to find collaborative meaning when workers aren’t under the same roof. Regardless of how much business operations may change, collaboration in business will always remain essential. The ability for workers to be able to chat with one another and solve problems will always exist as a necessity.
One of the most innovative and simple ways to bring a human touch back into an increasingly impersonal, distant world is Filo. Built to optimize successful communication in the workplace, Filo is a virtual meeting platform with a wide range of functions. In addition to being a place to host virtual collaborative internal events, Filo also offers the ability to remotely onboard employees and hold large-scale meetings.
All of this power is tailored for your business and optimized for ease of use and performance. Regardless of what event you may be hosting, Filo can help realize your vision. In addition to its powerful video conferencing software, Filo offers unique options to brighten up and bring together your virtual office. From customized virtual whiteboards to unified playlists and image posting boards, Filo can help a remote office feel as warm and inviting as any brick-and-mortar business space.
At the heart of Filo’s platform is the importance of collaboration. Regardless of the physical distance between your workers, your “office” should be welcoming and united. Effective collaboration skills extend far beyond basic business etiquette. Understanding proper collaboration opens doors to new possibilities through the connections you forge with others. In fact, knowing how to collaborate effectively can make a huge difference for any business, regardless of its size.
The results of collaboration and effective communication across multiple departments are wide-ranging and, at times, surprising. The simple ability to listen to one another and provide insight into a situation, regardless of personal background or area of expertise, is a longstanding skill, one which has allowed humans to thrive as a species.
Regardless of how the collaboration occurs, be it through a meeting or during a simple daily interaction, its effects will ripple outward. Some of the perks of proper collaboration within a business include:
Even if your events are hosted virtually, you’ll still need to create a welcoming environment for your workers. Planning virtual meetings around their goal reinforces the goals you have and helps further your agenda in a gentle, encouraging way. As such, it’s important to know what the possibilities are when using Filo’s platform. With our wide range of tools, our platform is capable of hosting a variety of events and meetings. What we present here is only a sampling of the massive buffet of possibilities available to you on our platform.
If you’re looking to hype up your team for the upcoming year and the changes it is sure to bring, then a kickoff is the perfect way to celebrate and highlight the future. These virtual (or hybrid, if you prefer) pep rallies serve to introduce your team to the visions you have for your company’s future. Our platform is perfectly suited for event games and activities; the only limit to your kickoffs are your own collaboration event ideas.
No team is complete without proper training and knowledge. From introducing basic aspects of your business software to furthering your employees’ personal growth, Filo’s onboarding and training services offer workers the perfect environment to learn and advance themselves. In addition to the tools we offer, Filo’s virtual classrooms offer the perfect safe space for collaboration activities for employees.
Company event ideas don’t need to stop at the door to your business’ internal affairs, either. With its ability to host many people in a singular room, Filo is the perfect place to host virtual product announcements. Like our kickoff events, these announcements may be purely virtual or a blend of in-person and remote interaction. New acquisition announcements, service launches, and business updates are also perfectly suited for Filo’s unique collaborative platform.
Filo’s virtual offices boast a host of collaborative tools to help you optimize your brainstorming sessions. From one-on-one chats between coworkers to virtual whiteboards for your meetings, Filo covers a variety of areas that are critical to the success of any business meeting.
Even small details can be handled with Filo. Everyday meetings and brainstorming sessions are a breeze to host through Filo, and everyone is guaranteed to have the space and opportunity to contribute.
No event is complete without the proper teamwork to back it, however. Even the most comprehensive of plans can go awry when workers fail to work together and collaborate. Team collaboration needs to be the basis of every meeting, and fostering cross-departmental collaboration is just as important.
Everyone on a team has a role to play and each individual brings a unique and worthwhile perspective to the project. As such, the question of how to increase collaboration between teams is a worthwhile pursuit.
One of the most effective ways to ensure a team is able to effectively and freely collaborate is to lead by example. This tried-and-true approach is utilized everywhere, from school classrooms to factory floors, and its utility has proven itself time and time again.
The natural human need to feel like we belong is a powerful motivator. A smart, strategic businessperson can use this need to their advantage. With the myriad of tools available through Filo, crafting a unified workspace isn’t hard. Moreover, that little bit of effort can make a huge impact on the amount of teamwork and collaboration in the workplace.
Knowing your employees pays off. When creating teams, pairing familiar individuals together is shown to increase productivity, collaboration, and discussion. At the heart of this result is the simple fact that strangers are less likely to convene and agree on issues. Instead, create groups of people with an existing rapport.
While it may seem obvious, it’s important to pick the right people to appoint to leadership positions. Always seek out individuals with compassion, empathy, and a willingness to listen to anyone. Studies have also suggested that a personable leader is the most effective; people are more willing to engage with people they trust.
While open discussion is key, it’s just as important to have a structured environment. Employing a unique way to offer everyone a turn to speak is crucial to ensuring a discussion doesn’t devolve into a frenzy of conflict. As essential as it is to let everyone speak, it’s also crucial that nobody feels as if their opinions are being spoken over and ignored.
In addition to understanding how to foster collaborative efforts, a savvy businessperson needs to be aware of examples of collaboration and teamwork. More than just ways to model behavior, these insights into ideal behavior can be used and tweaked to encourage and improve interdepartmental collaboration.
There are countless ways to collaborate in your workplace, from entry level positions to senior title holders. The basis of proper collaboration is openness, a willingness to listen to one another, and mutual respect. A senior executive listening to a new hire’s idea for a project is just as much a collaboration as two senior officials agreeing to merge their companies.
Collaboration doesn’t have to be extravagant. Allowing two different sectors of your company to work together to solve a problem, listening to one another, and group brainstorming sessions are all everyday collaboration examples at work. Other common examples of collaboration in the workplace include:
With Filo, creating the perfect virtual space for collaboration and teamwork isn’t hard. In fact, our platform’s optimized layout and superb performance makes it easier than ever to make everyone feel valued and welcome. With Filo, the physical distance between your workers no longer matters; our virtual offices create a unified, cohesive setting. In spite of our platform’s powerful capabilities, however, our interface remains easy to use and simple to navigate. There are no unnecessary buttons or overwhelming options to wrangle when dealing with your Filo meeting, which gives you the ability to focus on pure productivity.