A modern online business can no longer fully rely on a traditional workforce – the sort where everyone needs to be accounted for in the morning and works at their desks for the stipulated 8-odd hours a day. Well, at least not if that business want to remain competitive with the collaborative efforts of a workforce that is spread out across the world.

With almost 55 million Americans working from their home today, it should serve as a warning that the world is moving away from the desk-bound work load and embracing more remote and freelance work.

Want to carry your business into the future? Start building a collaborative team that can help you forge the way ahead.

5 Factors That’ll Contribute to a Successful Team Collaboration

Take your business to the next level. Keep the following in mind when you’re building an active work force all across the globe – the more connected and communicative everyone is with one another, the more likely your success.

1. Awareness

All your remote employees should know what part they will play in your business’ setup. There is no point in hiring employees who won’t fit into your business process and help move it forward.

From the moment you hire them, keep them posted about your expectations and keep them updated about anything that may affect their work directly. While you might have some reservations about divulging your business’ tactics, it doesn’t mean you can’t keep them informed enough to perform their duties well. Come up with a cohesive, yet independent, organizational structure so they can contribute toward your business goals without needing to know too much about other areas.

2. Communication

Once you have your organization defined, make sure your remote teams have a smooth communication channel to work with. The channel should work both vertically – from you down to the newest recruit – and horizontally, among your various interdependent groups and employees.

Do this by using well-proven collaboration platforms, like Slack. You can create various work groups and sub-categories on this platform and even hold conference calls. Do your research and find out which platform may be right for you.

3. Conflict Resolution

Whether it’s conflicting schedules or the quality of deliverables, sooner or later, conflicts are going to arise. You will need to be on top of conflict resolution or you’re going to face serious problems if you have remote workers who are disgruntled with the way you settle their grievances. You do not want them to quit on you in the middle of an urgent and sensitive project or sabotage it out of pure malice.

For the first few weeks of their employment, make sure you show everyone the ropes and see that they know who to report or answer to. Have clear-cut boundaries and rules they need to adhere to. Also, have a senior employee oversee their performance until you’re sure they know exactly what to do. Should any conflicts arise, they will also need to serve as arbitrators.

4. Collaboration

Although you may want to keep working groups professionally apart, it would be a great idea to also aim for a sense of camaraderie among those who perform similar tasks. Create online communities for engineers, content creators, administrators and more, both  local and abroad.

This will not only help in creating a cohesive working unit in every department, but also serve as a learning platform as workers exchange ideas about their daily activities. Don’t enforce a “no fraternization” policy – collaboration means chatting and communicating on a daily basis.

5. Human Resources

While your team might be comprised of employees across the world, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be covered by your HR. Try to bestow as many privileges and benefits across the collaborative board. Simple things like vacation schedules, bonus announcements and even birthday notifications will help boost morale, while making them feel like they really belong in your business.

Boost your collaboration team’s performance now

There you have it. These 5 factors can help increase your global workforce’s performance. Start applying these tips and you will soon have a collaborative team that will help increase your business’ overall performance – regardless of location, race, gender, creed, or language of the individual members. Also remember you’ve taken a giant step into the future of doing business. Kudos to you!