{"id":223,"date":"2020-04-16T13:01:42","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T17:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/?p=223"},"modified":"2024-05-14T01:49:37","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T05:49:37","slug":"how-to-foster-team-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/how-to-foster-team-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Foster Team Productivity (and Personal Boundaries) During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

The COVID-19 crisis has hit us hard \u2014 all of us. This is the time where all of us have had to revise and adjust our daily routines. To learn how to be more compassionate and mindful of each other. Many companies had to turn to\u00a0remote workflow<\/a> in a matter of days. And it\u2019s tough. All of a sudden, most of us are working from home, losing a sense of our work boundaries<\/a>, where the work ends and our daily life begins.<\/p>\n

Work-life balance is the most precious commodity we have<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With most companies turning to remote work, employees struggle to find the right\u00a0work-life balance in their home offices<\/a>. Setting a clear boundary between work time and private time is incredibly challenging.<\/p>\n

This is why revising our daily routine and making the most of it is a must.<\/p>\n

When setting a new routine, openly acknowledge that these circumstances are new and uncomfortable to everyone. That\u2019s why setting time for activities that will help us stay calm is essential. Exercise, meditation, time to watch our favorite series that makes us laugh \u2014 any of that should find its place in our daily routines.<\/p>\n

Remote work will challenge our well-established routines we had at the office. Tasks that usually took about two hours to get done, take about three-three and a half hours now. It\u2019s not just us, it\u2019s also our colleagues. Some of them might be more accessible in the morning, some of them in the evening, especially if they have small children. This makes communication even more difficult. Take all of this into account, the work day is suddenly three hours longer than usual, leaving you with little time for self care or quality time with your family.<\/p>\n

How can we get the most out of our work dedicated time, so we can establish a healthy work-life balance during this crisis? Is it even possible?<\/p>\n

Software and Synergy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The last couple of years gave us the realization of smoother edges amid different areas of life. Previously known as work-life balance, the new idea evolved into a more flexible pivoting attitude toward how we earn money<\/a> and what we use it for; instead of hard borders, the edges blurred.<\/p>\n

The notion came from UC Berkeley\u2019s Haas School of Business, which defined\u00a0work-life integration<\/strong>\u00a0as\u00a0\u201can approach that creates more synergies between all areas that define \u2018life\u2019: work, home\/family, community, personal well-being, and health.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Other than personal efforts to master such integration \u2014 which is an omnipresent need of our high-tempo global society \u2014 the outcome will, in no small part, depend on software. It\u2019s an integral part of our lives, like it or not.<\/p>\n

Thus, the question of work-life integration comes down to how we use applications to\u00a0transparently and effectively govern team collaboration<\/strong>,\u00a0discussions<\/strong>, and\u00a0assets<\/strong>\u00a0to realize our business goals.<\/p>\n

In turn, we get more time for life itself. The axiom is old, but the approach should be new, empowered by two decades of learning and improving.<\/p>\n

One of the possible answers may be in opting for\u00a0remote collaboration tools<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0mix efficiency, team communication, and centralization of collateral and digital assets\u00a0<\/em>with\u00a0passion, selfless approach, and sense of belonging among team members and stakeholders<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Such a\u00a0mixture of<\/strong>\u00a0business success<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0work-life integration<\/strong>\u00a0is the place where we get to use the time in the best way and create the right synergy between all parties involved.<\/p>\n

The Fundamental Part of Team Collaboration Equation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\"team<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Probably the most critical segment is to have a proper strategy for effective team collaboration in place.<\/p>\n

Now, we\u2019re not going to delve deep into all the details of the process. Instead, the idea is to glance through the most important aspects to have in mind for your strategy development.<\/p>\n

Keep sharing your mission every day<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your \u2018why\u2019 matters not only to your business but employees as well. Don\u2019t be shy to repeat your meaningful purpose each day. The bottom line is that people will work for you or buy your product not because of the paycheck or price range, but for the passionate sense of belonging to and sharing your mission.<\/p>\n

Keep communicating your expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If your romantic partner does not know what you want and what you don\u2019t want, you likely face challenges. The same is true in business. Unless your employees or colleagues don\u2019t know what you expect, they might not be able to align efforts and meet your expectations. There is a reason why each military commander\u00a0explicitly expresses their intentions<\/em>\u00a0for each maneuver.<\/p>\n

Define goals and communicate them<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This one might seem self-explanatory, but the thing is \u2014 you should do it daily as an emphatic reminder of sharing the same vision and staying focused as much as possible. Do it holistically, and the final sum will be more than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n

Define the individual strengths of each member of your team<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Not everyone can be an astronaut. But guess what? Not everyone wants to be an astronaut. Some guys want to be support staff; others like to take care of the rocket engine, while some prefer to do the countdown. Identify the strengths of every individual in your team, keep nurturing them, and put people in positions where they can contribute the most.<\/p>\n

Be honest and open<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nothing beats this one, especially when it\u2019s hard. When we share the same \u2018why\u2019 and the same values, being truthful in a psychologically-safe environment comes naturally. In the 2020s, this one\u2019s not even optional; it\u2019s a requirement.<\/p>\n

Foster a sense of belonging.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

People don\u2019t go the extra mile for bonuses. People do that because they believe they can contribute every single day. To harness these unlimited potentials, create an atmosphere that will empower people to feel inspired.<\/p>\n

Unleash creativity, share knowledge<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Let your people think out of the box, let them be crazy enough to unearth ideas from the deepest ends of their imagination pools. To catalyze this, give them everything you know. The only purpose of knowledge is to be shared. When these two \u2014 creativity and expertise \u2014 meet under the right circumstances, the outcome is usually the revelation.<\/p>\n

Be compassionate<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Last, but not least. These are tough times and everyone is dealing with it in the best way they know-how. Try to organize at least one casual meeting a week, just to keep in check of how everybody\u2019s doing, and if they have all the needed resources to keep up with the work.<\/p>\n

The Eco-System<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Having a shared organizational and collaborative space to execute your business vision is a must. To choose the one that will fit all of your needs \u2014 and give you an excellent platform to create\u00a0leadership<\/strong>\u00a0by example \u2014 is of paramount importance.<\/p>\n

But, the most significant attribute of a proper project management tool comes by the opportunity to celebrate successful teamwork and to reward each team member \u2014 in a transparent manner. We\u2019re all creatures of imitation; thus, the possibility to see and emulate proven methods and behaviors may be the best yet quite a hidden attribute of any well-chosen software tool.<\/p>\n

Other than improving your overall business efforts, the idea behind the whole endeavor is \u2014 to\u00a0have more time<\/strong>, to\u00a0feel more integrated into things that matter<\/strong>, and to be able to\u00a0govern them all meaningfully.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a mantra going viral on social media for the last few weeks: \u201cIf you didn\u2019t do X during the crisis \u2014 you never lacked time, you lacked self-discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Take this mantra with a pinch of salt. We\u2019re all striving to make the most of our time during the crisis, but adapting to new situations is always challenging, even when they\u2019re favorable, which isn\u2019t the case for this one. Just keeping up with the usual work pace you had before the crisis is also enough.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Nifty \u2014 which is built for truly transparent collaboration \u2014 is the perfect tool for you and your team! It has everything you need, so why not\u00a0<\/strong>sign up today<\/strong><\/a>? \ud83d\ude80<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The COVID-19 crisis has hit us hard \u2014 all of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[57,56],"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-remote-collaboration","tag-team-collaboration"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/niftypm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}