You might be already aware of the fact there are certain rules for digital communication. There are certainly some rules existing for professional communication at remote work places. If you happen to be a new employee at one of the remote positions and your very first experience of working for a particular company is completely based on remote working, you should be particularly careful about your communication with your co-workers.
This article will give you some guidelines for successful communication.
Find out what is the best way of communicating particular people
Even though in all likelihood, there will be a common group chat, you will certainly contact the people you need directly. As you can imagine, a group chat might not be the best option for such communication, however, you will need to know what is your other choice.
In order to do it, it will be a great idea to first find out the responsibilities of other employees so that you know whom to contact and also ask this person specifically about his or her preferences for communication. For instance, someone might prefer receiving any information regarding work via email.
Introduce yourself in a proper way
Introduction which might have happen naturally if you were working physically with other people might be somewhat impaired online. Still, it is advised to remember about the necessity to introduce yourself to other people telling them a bit about your hobbies and work experience. There is no need to create a huge text for this purpose, however, you should leave some message describing you so that your new co-workers have a chance to learn more about you.
It is particularly important to allow the staff to see your picture and a full name and surname. In such a way, they will be able to recognise you more easily.
Make sure you understand the style of communication at work
It is crucial to analyse the style used by employees at work. Even though it is generally not recommended to make the messages too casual filling them with memes and emoji, there are companies where people actually prefer such a style of communication and it is regarded absolutely normal. That is why it is better to check the way in which other workers are texting each other before you decide to write your first message.
Learn to listen carefully
Whenever you are involved into a group conversation, be extremely vigilant to anything said by your co-workers as they might be sharing a lot of crucial information which you will be able to use at work. This is particularly true for the learning more about the goals of particular individuals which will allow you to know whom you should contact in case of any questions. You might also be willing to make notes during such discussions.
Do not refrain yourself from asking questions
One of the most frequent confusion of the majority of employees both the remote ones and the ones working in the office is not feeling free about asking questions. Indeed, no one wants to look unprofessional or may be even stupid asking questions. There is also a risk of making other people feel annoyed especially if you cannot get it right away and have to ask them several times.
Still, you should learn to ask questions as this is the only way in which you will be able to protect yourself from various unpleasant situations when you make a lot of mistakes because you have refused to ask questions when there was time for it.
It is also very useful to rephrase the information received from another person asking whether you have understood it well so that you make sure this is really what others expect from you.
Reread your messages before sending them
It might seem natural to write quick messages to your co-workers since texting is used as an alternative to live discussions at a remote work place, which means you might feel like you can send your messages without any special preparation.
In the reality, just for this reason it is better to read your message carefully before sending it. For speaking with another person in real time, it is easier to clarify whereas things, however, getting an ambiguous text might make another person understand you in a wrong way and you certainly do not want to get into such a situation.
It is also recommended to right as much information as possible in one message to make the communication neat and more comprehensible.
Finally, it is crucial to respect the time of your co-workers and avoid contacting them with some introductory messages such as “Could you please help me” and not explain what you need from this person.
I will take these tips seriosuly. I am preparing for my first remote job.