5 Benefits of Workplace Collaboration After a Pandemic Year

Technology has allowed companies to adopt modern workplace collaboration practices. And in a pandemic year, remote teamwork and collaboration in the workplace has been a necessity. While digital interaction and electronic communication is something we can no longer do without, there are still benefits of collaboration in the workplace.

The term “workplace collaboration” means more than simply working together—it’s the process of coworkers making unified decisions. This expands the impact of any individual and allows each member to bring their unique skills to a situation for maximum success. Working as a team allows for healthy employee relationships and often leads to better performance.

Teamwork and collaboration in the workplace can happen in person or remotely but after a pandemic year, many are realizing the power of in-person collaborating. There are certain benefits in-office working affords, like allowing you to read body language resulting in more open communication. 

5 benefits of collaboration in the workplace

In general, collaboration in the workplace improves workflow processes, productivity, efficiency and employee and team relationships. These can be accomplished virtually but it’s tougher to create genuine connections, trust and authentic communication. Here are five other benefits of workplace collaboration.

Innovation and idea sharing

Meeting in person allows workers to build trust and credibility with each other, as well as create dialogue allowing for employees to come together, share information and communicate effectively. In-person collaboration allows for new ideas to come to the forefront and misunderstandings to be handled immediately. This leads to the added benefit of transforming friction into a spark of innovation, which may not have happened if the collaboration had been limited to an email thread.

Better performance

Teamwork and collaboration in the workplace often lead to employees feeling more connected and motivated to work towards a shared goal. Individuals working remotely can easily feel disconnected and isolated while working on projects, whereas those practicing workplace collaboration often end up feeling focused and committed to a task. This can lead to greater motivation, performance and productivity.

Improved communication

Video meetings have improved remote communication, but nothing compares to the clarity face-to-face meetings offer. It’s in these settings where new ideas emerge, facial cues are more easily recognized and transparent dialogue can be achieved. Meeting in person allows individuals to build trust-based relationships quicker, which leads to clearer communication moving forward.

Employee satisfaction

Healthy teamwork and collaboration in the workplace allows employees to feel like they’re making a meaningful contribution to the company and allows them to be part of a team. This leads to improved employee satisfaction, happiness and fulfillment. Modern workplace collaboration also ensures employees to stay on the same page between departments, allowing organizations to adapt to change quicker and creating a more responsive and flexible work environment.

More efficient remote teams

There are many benefits to remote working and there are often occasions where this is a necessity. The key is finding ways for remote teams to stay connected to your company’s big picture, as well as to each other. When relationships are built in-person then modern workplace collaboration, either remote or in office, are more efficient. Interconnectedness breaks down departmental silos and allows employees to have a higher purpose than simply individual achievement.

Whether motivated by the pandemic or something else, remote working has become necessary and many companies are realizing the added value of balancing virtual work with in-person workplace collaboration. 

While there is a definite cost-savings and positive environmental impact to digitizing many aspects of running a business, the importance of transparent communication, improved problem solving and connectivity cannot be understated.

The value of in-person interaction may be difficult to quantify but the results speak for themselves. Increased employee satisfaction, creative solutions and stronger relationships all contribute to a stable foundation in which to build a resilient, profitable business upon.

No one can say for sure what the long-term impact of the pandemic will be on businesses, and there are likely still more challenges and changes to face in the year ahead. Finding hybrid solutions for running a virtual office as well as in-person ways to connect through renting meeting spaces or having a physical office space could be the best of both worlds, allowing for positive workplace collaboration while keeping cost and risk to a minimum.