In-Person Collaboration for Remote Teams

10:30 in the morning. I message a colleague on Slack about an urgent change needed for one of our projects. A response comes within minutes: "It's been resolved!" It's only after a few hours that I realize my initial message was misunderstood, and what I had flagged remained unresolved.

10:30 in the morning. The team in Bucharest gathers at one of the coworking spaces in the network for a collaborative day, where we meet face-to-face, discuss our projects, and have lunch together. Another urgent matter arises, but colleagues from other departments are just two meters away from me, and everything gets sorted out quickly.

From Traditional Work Methods to Remote Work

For the past few years, I've been working in a fully remote team with colleagues across two continents, and I wouldn't go back to a traditional work setup with daily commutes to a fixed office ever again. However, I do admit to feeling a bit nostalgic for those pre-pandemic moments when we'd hang out on the terrace of our Cotroceni headquarters, chatting away with colleagues, or having pizza days and eating together in the villa's basement.

I'm not alone in feeling this way. According to an article from Forbes Advisor published in 2024, 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, while 28.2% adopt a hybrid model.

Another study by CBRE shows that 90% of companies already offer a hybrid work program to their employees. The numbers clearly indicate: remote work isn't just a passing trend; it's a reality that has become the norm

Case Study: Zitec Doubles Employee Collaboration Levels

Zitec,a technology company with a remote-first approach, Zitec emphasizes maintaining a high level of employee engagement and satisfaction. In 2023, Zitec recorded an employee loyalty rate of 83%.

In Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara, Zitec teams enjoy access to a national network of coworking spaces and cafes through the Pluria platform.

The Zitec team started with 25% collaborative days out of the total days they worked within the Pluria network, and after 5 months, they reached 56% collaborative days in February 2024.

In-Person Collaboration: Vital for Remote or Hybrid Teams

During the pandemic, we reached the peak of remote work, with Zoom meetings in comfy pajamas and cats photobombing during strategy sessions; it's nice when it's snowing outside, and you can work from home, but we're social beings and we don't enjoy isolation.

For companies with hybrid or remote teams, in-person collaboration is an essential piece for keeping teams united and building a strong organizational culture.

Why does face-to-face collaboration matter so much?

Richer communication

It's not enough to just see a profile picture with a forced smile. Real interaction helps you decipher subtle nonverbal cues, such as flushed cheeks (is it due to embarrassment or the room temperature?) or a suspicious narrowing of the eyes (is they agreeing with your idea or just hiding fatigue?).

Stronger relationships

You can't build strong camaraderie just through emojis and gifs. In-person meetings allow for building trust, respect, and friendship, essential elements for a united team. Imagine the satisfaction of solving a difficult problem with your colleagues, followed by lunch together. Or the relief of discovering that your colleague's bad jokes aren't actually that bad in reality (wink).

Creativity at its peak

Online brainstorming is like a stroll in the park... a frozen one, with the wind blowing. Nothing stimulates creativity better than a downpour of spontaneous ideas, with colorful sticky notes plastered everywhere and ideas shouted out with enthusiasm. Think about the most innovative projects you've been involved in: didn't they start from a discussion with your colleagues, where you passionately debated and exclaimed, 'I got it!'

Quicker and more efficient decision-making

How many hours have you lost in online meetings filled with awkward silences and hesitations (the classic question: is this call over or not yet?) Real-time discussions, with the ability to read body language and observe immediate reactions, mean quicker and more efficient decision-making.

Read also: George Moroianu (Flip): from start-up to eMag investment

Team morale at its peak

The isolation of remote work can be a daunting reality. In-person collaboration combats the four walls' isolation (the same walls every day!), offering a dose of socialization and a sense of belonging to a team. Imagine the joy of reuniting with colleagues, joking around, sharing a coffee, and building shared memories.

In-person collaboration isn't a relic of the past, but an essential component for the success of remote or hybrid teams. So, the next time you feel overwhelmed by your computer screen, suggest an outing with colleagues. Who knows what brilliant ideas might arise? Or, better yet, who knows what bad jokes might be made?

Effective Team Collaboration Strategies

Let's be honest: remote work can sometimes feel like cold pizza - tasty, but lacking something... the warmth of human interaction. That's where in-person collaboration comes in, the ingredient that turns your remote team into a well-oiled machine of success.

Draw inspiration from the solutions below or reach out to us at [email protected], and we'll craft a personalized plan using the Pluria solution.

Read also: How to improve collaborative work in your company

In-Person Work Sessions:

Face-to-face collaboration is great, but don't overwhelm the team with daily meetings, nor let them drift too far apart. Find a balance: a frequency of 1-2 in-person meetings per week is enough to keep the flame alive.

• Spaces: Choose a central location that inspires and fosters connection: a charming office, a Bohemian café, or even a relaxing outdoor terrace.
• Activities: Combine creative sessions with teamwork on your projects. Picture a brainstorming session on a flip chart, followed by lunch, where you discover your colleagues' personalities. Perhaps a joke thrown into the air sparks a new project, or an apparently mundane observation triggers a profound discussion that shifts everyone's perspective.

Brainstorming Sessions:

Stimulate creativity with periodic face-to-face brainstorming sessions, especially at the beginning of new projects.

• Space: Choose a meeting room with a friendly design where ideas can flow freely. Think of a creative hub with comfortable work areas, a TV, and... why not, a hammock?
• Techniques: Use creative techniques such as mind mapping, reverse brainstorming, or improvisation games. Who knows, perhaps an internal hackathon brings innovative solutions to real company problems.

Read also: Top Coworking Spaces in Bogotá

Workshops or Sessions in Coworking Spaces:

Provide your team with access to coworking spaces, where your colleagues have an optimal environment for collaboration and work better together.

• Space: Choose coworking spaces in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, or other major cities, which offer a professional environment equipped with everything you need for an efficient day.
• Techniques: Encourage team members to use coworking spaces to connect with colleagues and collaborate on common projects. Perhaps an onboarding session with a new team member or a workshop with colleagues from another department.

Meetups in Ready-to-Work Cafes:

Encourage your remote-working colleagues to meet in informal environments such as cafes where they can work, either as a team or individually.

• Taste of Connection: Food brings us closer, and connected teams are more efficient teams. Pluria includes a lunch menu in network cafes, included in the subscription provided by the employer.
• Techniques: Use more relaxed spaces to encourage informal discussions. Perhaps you want to find out about your colleagues' exciting plans for the weekend or what happened with that project last winter - did the team manage to successfully complete the mission?

Read also: The best Cafés in Bucharest to work remotely

Conclusions

Despite the comfort of remote work, in-person collaboration remains vital for hybrid and remote teams. Face-to-face interactions stimulate communication, build strong relationships, generate innovative ideas, streamline decision-making, and combat loneliness. Propose regular meetings to benefit from these advantages and discover, who knows, perhaps even a new opportunity for collaboration between departments or a new project that brings benefits to the company.