Today, the list of problems in employee communication has changed dramatically. This is primarily related to the emergence of the digital era, as managers face a new set of tasks characterised by a specific list of rules. For example, when working in one office, people constantly communicate with each other, whereas in remote teams everything is completely different. Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier, says: “The biggest disadvantage of remote work is communication. Everything else is fairly straightforward”. This overview explains how to overcome problems related to communication in remote teams.

Remote Work Requires a Completely Different Approach to Communication

Remote communication must be purposeful, organised, and planned. As a result, there is a shift from verbal to written communication. Therefore, an integral part of successful remote work is the ability to write well and possess good communication skills.

However, one should not confuse this: effective communication in digital teams is not about transferring everything employees did in the office to digital platforms. This concerns the second level of the digital working environment. It is necessary to determine which digital tools have led to new problems and have resulted in the need to completely change the approach to future communication.

Main Difficulties in Virtual Team Communication

Digital interaction leads to 4 main problems in the sphere of remote team communication. These are completely new problems that managers were previously unaware of.

However, solving these problems requires constant effort and adjustment. The main task of a remote team leader is to provide a good foundation for effective problem-solving. Moreover, it is important to constantly modify one’s plan based on the changing situation.

Problem №1: Response Time

Personal communication in the pre-digital era ensured a quick response: within the day for a telephone call and within 2-3 days when sending a memorandum. With the transition to digital technology, the possibility of setting the same response time for the following is confirmed:

• Email.
• Instant messages.
• Posts on internal channels.

However, digital technology has completely changed the nature of response: communication with team members at any convenient time and anywhere in the world. After all, digital workplaces highly value time, which must be spent wisely.

The main problem related to response speed lies in the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication:

• Synchronous communication occurs in real time, like a live conversation.
• Asynchronous communication – people can join and leave the conversation.

But most people value speed, which means synchronous communication wins. If response time is not determined in advance, people will start using tools that can provide the quickest responses.

Problem №2: Persistence

Digital technology has had a direct impact on short conversations that previously occurred in person or by telephone. Today, most short conversations take place on digital platforms, where a permanent record is maintained. As a result, another problem emerges: important data, decisions, and conclusions are often left on these platforms in the hope that they can be accessed over time. However, checking correspondence and reviewing emails is rather difficult.

Competition emerges between persistent and ephemeral communication:

• Persistent communication must be clear, easily accessible, and understandable. This concerns policies, strategic plans, and key decisions.
• Ephemeral communication is transient; it can disappear unnoticed by others. This concerns chat messages.

It is necessary to teach your team to distinguish between information that will be needed and that which is no longer required. For example, in the first case, information should be stored in Google documents in a shared folder or remote communication tools focused on long-term communication should be used.

Problem №3: Fidelity

In this case, the difference between a telegram and a personal conversation is examined:

• A telegram conveys a specific message using a set of words and punctuation marks.
• A personal conversation helps to “read” messages taking into account tone of voice, intonation, gestures, pauses, and facial expressions. Furthermore, the interlocutor’s reaction in real time is considered.

As a result of personal conversations, far more signals are found that help to correctly encode the message.

Here we are talking about a range from low quality (very few signals) to high quality. For example, video calls provide high-quality imagery, whilst SMS messages provide low quality. To slightly increase quality, emojis and GIF images are added to text correspondence.

As soon as a situation begins to escalate during a conversation, it is necessary to suggest people switch to more advanced tools. For example, to provide more context for participants, one can suggest turning on video during a meeting. High-fidelity communication is effective in situations where there is a probability of misunderstanding the interlocutor or when dealing with overly emotional messages.

Problem №4: Access

Access to information is one of the most common communication problems in workplaces. Now there is no need to ask questions such as: who gets access to important files, who can directly contact the CEO, and so forth. Thanks to digital tools, just one mouse click allows any conversation participant to be excluded or access to certain files to be granted.

The problem is based on the difference between open and closed communication:

• Open channels are considered easily accessible and convenient for quick information searches.
• Closed channels are veiled and exclude the possibility of information distribution.

Leaders in the digital environment must also remember compatibility: how exactly the communication system can interact with other systems. For example, email has a high degree of compatibility.

In this confrontation, closed access still wins. In terms of communication, both channels are good: the power of open discussion contributes to providing quick responses to all letters, but one should not abandon the advantages of a closed group chat to which specific people can be added.

How to Resolve Privacy Issues in Communication

Preference is given to working in open access by default, refusing to work in private mode. This means that all documents are in shared folders and open communication channels are used. This approach helps to simplify the information exchange process, and people can quickly find the necessary information. At the same time, the following is important for managers: the team must be well-informed and have the necessary authority.

To ensure compatibility, several different connections are needed:

• A system for communication with the outside world.
• A separate system for internal communication.

For example, for communication with the outside world, email capabilities can still be used, but for internal communication this option should be abandoned.

It is recommended to establish a list of standard rules: all files and correspondence should be open by default. Email can only be used for external communication.

To increase transparency and improve information exchange, all files should be placed on a shared drive with open access for everyone. If there is no necessity for this, closed channels should not be created at all.

By refusing to take any action, one can face a problem where communication will be predominantly synchronous, ephemeral, low-quality, and closed. For quick work, this is good, but it can lead to serious problems in remote work.

Digital sphere leaders must make special efforts, offering effective solutions taking into account the specifics of communication problems in virtual teams.