In order for a company to continuously function at a high level, the team it employs needs to have quality relationships with one another. Now, not everyone needs to be friends, but at the very least, individuals need to respect one another and be willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder at crunch time.
Thanks to the ever-evolving reality of employees working both from a company’s office space, or from a home office, the challenge has become ensuring these individuals remain united, even when apart.
Fortunately, video call technology continues to improve and play a bigger role in how companies go about their day-to-day business. Now, an entire team does not need to be in the same physical space to participate in a staff meeting. Rather, these employees can simply use their device of choice (i.e., computer, smartphone, or tablet) to enter a virtual meeting and have a meaningful interaction with cohorts.
Let’s take a closer look at the four ways in which video calls can improve office relationships:
Face-to-Face, for the Win!
For the longest time, if someone was not at the office, the bulk of communication with them would occur over the phone, via email, or through a text or instant messaging service. While each of those methods do have their benefits, they all lack the ability to offer face-to-face interaction.
Having a quality video conferencing solution for business opens up the door for meaningful collaborations to be had by a team of employees. Not only does this result in a project being developed and completed in a more realized manner, but it also helps those responsible for it build a lasting bond.
In business, few things bring employees together more than facing down a challenging project and successfully pulling it off as a team. Without question, having regular virtual meetings makes this much more possible.
Finding Out What’s Under the Hood
While some professionals believe it is best to keep all business relationships professional, it is not harmful to try and learn more about those you are working closely with.
Yes, while business-centric video calls should ultimately be used to get work done, time should also be spent (when possible) to better understand the people you are collaborating with. Sometimes, this can help one individual gain a better understanding and appreciation for the person on the other end of the online meeting.
Sometimes, quick social interactions can make a group of employees realize they have more in common than previously thought. Such discoveries can truly galvanize a team and result in better work.
Clear the Air
Professional disagreements happen all of the time in business. They are – for the most part – not enjoyable and can prove to be counterproductive if not quickly remedied.
Fortunately, when a team is together using an online meeting platform, it is easier to clear the air in such a venue, versus an email or phone call.
Video calls during such situations help others better explain themselves, while their facial expressions and body language can show others on the call that they’re not coming in aggressively on a situation. Rather, they just may have a different outlook on it.
No Unnecessary Travel Needed
Commuting to and from the office, or multiple business meetings, can be very exhausting. But, when someone can have a live video chat online with their counterparts, much more energy is saved.
How does this improve office relationships?
Well, we’ve all had really bad commutes to the office and know the lasting stress that brings. This can result in snapping at coworkers, or being genuinely difficult to deal with on a given day. Eliminating unnecessary travel by conducting meetings via a video chat app can help eliminate such travel-inspired nastiness.
