At Evologic we have been providing you with updates about how Co-Vid 19 is changing how we work and informing you on how we are still available. We know that many businesses and organisations have already, or are going to find themselves in the same position that we are in, where they need their team to work from home or in remote offices. How have we been able to continue to coordinate our services? We use Microsoft Teams.
A little over a month ago we shared with you how Microsoft Teams can help your organisation be more efficient and collaborate more effectively within each area of your business. With the current ever-changing health pandemic and the uncertainty of lockdowns being able to continue to work, finding an effective way for your business to work from home has never been more in demand. Microsoft Teams is where it’s at!
If you are not already aware Microsoft Teams is a cloud application that is completely integrated with every Microsoft product; Word, Outlook, Skype, OneNote, etc. This means your team can work, collaborate, and communicate online in a remote place, such as at home, without any added complications or stress. Combine that with seamless integration to SharePoint and OneDrive for access to files, and it really is becoming the core of the “Modern Workplace”. If you need more convincing here’s how Microsoft Teams makes it easy for everyone to work from home.
Effective Project Management
Teams and departments often work collaboratively on projects when in the office to get the best results, and you don’t want this to stop. With Microsoft Teams, organisations are able to set up channels and environments that are dynamic, user friendly and encourage collaboration.Like any system, planning is needed to make sure you get the most out of anything new. Allowing open creation of Channels will create a mess that could end up being impossible to clean up. At Evologic, our channels are unique to each department or business unit, with a general channel for employees to catch up with each other, do shout-outs, and share the odd random meme.
Meetings and Catch Ups
Make the day as normal as possible even if your team is remote working, schedule meetings and catch-ups and encourage the use of the video function. Video meetings are a way to remedy potential feelings of isolation and added stress when working remotely and they continue to encourage collaboration within your teams. There are many features that Microsoft Teams has added to make these video meetings friendly for office and remote working. They include:
- Having a mobile and desktop application allowing everyone to tune in no matter where they are in the world.
- Blurring your background, to prevent colleagues from peeking into your personal life or being distracted by what’s happening behind you.
- Recording meetings and using an intelligent software base to provide a transcript and allow people to skip to relevant parts of the meeting if they were unable to attend. Thus, they are able to catch up without wasting time.
At Evologic, we use video meetings with our team in the morning and afternoon for our team Huddles to discuss daily tasks, praise accomplishments (a.k.a. throw virtual high-fives) and talk about any blockers. We’re alsousing Microsoft Teams Video Conferencing to schedule and run meetings with clients that we would usually meet face to face.
Continue the Office Banter
One of the biggest concerns with going online and working remotely is that teams lose their fun or ability to continue normal social activities. Microsoft emphasises using Microsoft Teams as a means to stay connected with your colleagues, both on a professional and a personal level (if relevant). As a team using Microsoft Teams, you can schedule the Virtual Office Coffee Run in the Calendar every morning, use a general chat channel or a direct message to discuss who has the cutest pet or if need be discuss the weather. Encouraging this behaviour will help bring your team together even when they are working remotely and allow for them to be socially connected even when they are socially isolated. At Evo, we still have our 3:30pm Friday “Beer O’Clock” catch up, as well as continuing our long tradition of “Pizza Friday” where we bring the whole team together on the first Friday of each month to share both knowledge (e.g. education session, company update etc) and a family meal.
As many of you will be aware, everyone works differently so encourage them to use Microsoft Teams in their own way to get the most out of it. Microsoft Teams is fully customisable for every business and is a necessary tool to maximise your teams’ efforts when working remotely. The Evologic team is using Microsoft Teams every day to help coordinate and accomplish all of our tasks while Australia is facing this health pandemic. If your team needs to start working remotely and you don’t know where to start, get in contact with our team today!
