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    Collaboration in the workplace

    Studies are highlighting the need to improve collaboration in the workplace. Tackling this comes down to company culture, workspace, and tech.

    Two employees working on laptop resembling workplace collaboration.

    As the world continues to be online because of COVID-19, everyone is asking: how are we going to improve workplace collaboration?

    What is collaboration in the workplace?

    Collaboration in the workplace is the process of working together with colleagues or teammates to achieve shared goals, complete projects, and solve problems effectively.

    Benefits of collaboration in the workplace

    It takes time, space, and money to bring employees together. Although the benefits of increased collaboration are not always apparent at first, they become more visible over time. The core benefit of collaboration is the ability to share knowledge and expertise quickly and easily. This leads to better products and innovations, which drives better profitability, employee engagement, and employee satisfaction.

    Tackling workplace collaboration relies on three things: your company culture, workspace, and technology.

    Across these categories, we have identified a few tips that will help you improve workplace collaboration. The suggestions below will help your company to become more engaging, resourceful, and profitable.

    How to improve workplace collaboration?

    1. Inspire from the top down
      The number one thing that any leader can do to improve workplace collaboration is to lead by example. Instead of using mass emails, executives should begin using workplace collaboration tools when communicating with employees. This inspires employees to use these tools for their own projects.
    2. Align around a shared vision and purpose
      Collaboration has the benefit of opening up employees' eyes to the larger role that they play within the organization. When employees understand the role they play in helping the organization meet its goals—and the role that collaboration plays to advance this purpose—they are more likely to make a meaningful contribution.
    3. Foster friendships
      Employees are more likely to be willing to collaborate and provide each other with critical feedback when they have developed a friendship. Women who have a best friend at work are more than twice as likely to be engaged (63%) compared with the women who say otherwise (29%). Organizational leaders can help foster these friendships within the company culture by encouraging interaction.
    4. Diversity the workspace
      Some of the best workplace collaborations occur when employees have unplanned interactions at work. Institutions using employee engagement platforms during remote working create a better chance of these types of interactions, resulting in more creativity and energy and a greater likelihood that employees will collide and come up with the next great idea.
    5. Connect with video
      The benefits (and presence!) of video conferencing are stronger than ever. Video conferencing offers the capability of screen sharing so that coworkers do not need to be in the same room to share knowledge, information, or visuals. And it allows employees to build deeper personal connections without needing to be in the same physical space. The personal nature of seeing coworkers face-to-face on-screen helps foster the friendships that are so vital to workplace collaboration.
    6. Leverage a corporate social network
      Social networks can foster relationships between employees and enable sharing knowledge and expertise efficiently across an organization. Even some troubled companies have found that implementing or expanding usage of their social networks can play a key role in catalyzing workplace collaboration and returning to profitability.
    7. Use an employee engagement platform
      Employee engagement programs using platforms like WeSpire improve workplace collaboration. WeSpire aligns employees around a shared purpose and vision, and foster the development of interpersonal relationships that make employees more comfortable engaging in collaborative activities. With these enterprise systems, employees are empowered to work together to make a positive impact on company results.

    Want to learn more about workplace collaboration?

    Interested in learning more about WeSpire and how we can help you to engage your employees and improve workplace collaboration? Request a demo here!