Four Ways to Improve Collaboration for Remote Teams

Interaction can be complicated for remote teams. Here’s how to strengthen connections among people with an office that’s optimized for digital collaboration.

Two people meeting in a small Meeting Space with upright lounge seating, occasional tables, and content sharing on monitor screens.

1. Build Trust

Build trust by giving everyone a clear view of each other and the content being shared.

People meeting at seated-height tables with project work pinned on boards attached to the wall.

2. Enhance Engagement

Prompt participation by helping people stay focused and involving them in the conversation.

Woman in a small room with a smart board pinning project work on a board attached to a wall.

3. Streamline the Workflow

Make it easy for people to meet by leveraging cloud-based tools that allow people to simultaneously collaborate both in person and remotely.

Small Meeting Space with upright lounge seating, occasional tables, and content sharing.

4. Stay Aligned

Work with your design and technology partners to align every element of your space to better serve people and your business.

Misalignments between people, their technology, and their offices inhibit factors that are critical to successful collaboration for a remote team: trust, engagement, and unimpeded workflow. You can improve these behaviors by fine-tuning the surroundings (walls, acoustics, lighting), furniture, and technology in the office for digital collaboration. Read on to discover how with insights and recommendations from Herman Miller and Logitech.

Trust Building Tactics

It can be tough to trust someone you rarely see or haven’t met in person, but it’s critical to a remote team’s success. If you want to help people feel like valued team members, consider these trust-building tactics.

A light blue meeting space with a round table and Sayl Stools, featuring the technology from Logitech.

Easy to Share and See
Ensure your video conferencing equipment allows people to share content, and that it provides clear sightlines to content and among people.

Right-Size Audio
For rooms where people are more likely to sit and chat, specify a front-of-room, all-in-one video and audio design that allows people to look at, speak to, and hear the people on screen. Larger rooms require multi-zone audio so remote callers can always hear, no matter the location of the speaker.

Keep Everyone in the Frame
For large meeting rooms, consider adding a camera that helps frame people in the room, making it easier to read their expressions.

Products Featured

How to Boost Engagement

At no time is “out of sight, out of mind” truer than during conference calls, where in-person attendees often forget about remote participants. Follow these guidelines to ensure an engaging meeting experience for remote teams.

A light pink meeting space with a small table and Setu Stools, featuring the technology from Logitech.

Encourage Eye Contact
Start meetings by quickly establishing eye contact. Standing-height tables and video cameras at eye level make this easier.

Get the Mics Right
Use microphones that distinguish human voices, eliminate other sounds, and prioritize the voice of whomever is speaking.

Up Your Chat Game
Encourage people to chat in applications like Skype or Slack. Everyone can easily stay in the conversation—whether they are in the same room or calling in from a remote locale.

Products Featured

MeetUp

Logitech

K830 Keyboard

Logitech

Exclave Table

Herman Miller

Exclave Cart

Herman Miller

Setu Stool

Herman Miller

Ways to Work Better, Together

There are enough obstacles to effectively reviewing content, iterating ideas, and sketching out possible outcomes even when everyone is in the room. Here are a few design recommendations and tools that will empower people to get co-creative.

A large image shows a light blue haven space with a small table and stools, featuring the technology from Logitech. In an adjacent smaller image, you see a height-adjustable desk in white with a Sayl Chair in white and grey. Canvas Storage sits under the desk, and a panel behind the desk provides privacy.

Get Smartboards
Use multi-touch smartboards to create and edit content. People working remotely can participate via the cloud.

Edit with Cloud-Based Tools
Keep team documents in the cloud, and edit them in real time. Programs like Google Docs and Sharepoint allow the entire team to simultaneously work on the same document.

Give People Control
To boost concentration and engagement for people calling in from their desks, make sure they have control over light, noise, and privacy with adjustable task lights and monitor arms.