Are You Working Alone?

A recent study shows that 94% of the world's workers are not working alone. Companies and teams are becoming more global, with many people working remotely for an organization or group. With websites like Slack, Basecamp, and Google Drive quick to replace phone calls and in-person meetings, it's easier than ever to keep in contact with your team. So if you're thinking about going solo on your next big project - think again! You may be surprised how many opportunities you'll miss out on by leaving yourself behind. After all, no one wants to be the only one working on a big project!

Thanks to Slack, Basecamp and Google Drive, it's easier than ever to keep in contact with your team.  There are many online tools that you can use for remote teams. And remember that smartphones and video chat apps can bridge the gap of contact when you're not working together in person. These tools help create stronger relationships with your team members; they also make it easier to reach out if there's an emergency or a problem arises. There is nothing more frustrating than being shut off from your teammates when you need them most.

If you're always stuck on your own, you may be missing out on opportunities for collaboration. Working together can make you more productive and more innovative. It also helps build team spirit.

If your organization is shifting towards a remote team model, relationships will become even more important than ever. And it's not just about how you feel after a tough day's work (although that would be nice). Your remote team should also aim for efficiency and productivity as well. That's one of the reasons why people turn to online collaboration tools such as Basecamp and Slack; these apps make it easier to stay plugged into what's happening in the organization at all times.

Even if you're not working remotely, you can still use teamwork to boost your productivity. One study shows that brainstorming sessions and group meetings improve productivity by more than 30%. So next time someone tells you to go it alone, remind them that it's better to work together.

You may be surprised how many opportunities you'll miss out on by leaving yourself behind.  If your organization is shifting towards a remote team model, relationships will become even more important than ever.

As technology continues to advance at warp speed (and as we continue to live and work in the digital age!), there is no shortage of tools that can help us collaborate with other people on projects, big and small. I'm sure you've seen me mention them multiple times in this blog: Basecamp, Slack, G+ Hangouts, and many others. Even though these tools provide us with an unprecedented amount of information, access to other people and things, and freedom to do our work with fewer physical barriers than ever before (i.e., communicating online vs. "face-to-face"), we still need to take care to connect with the people around us in a human way. In order for this technology and our collective digital intelligence to be good for life on planet earth rather than just another step toward a dystopian science fiction future, we have to ensure that the technology serves our "human" needs (e.g. human to human connection) as well as our "technological" needs (e.g. getting a job done more efficiently through the use of technology).

The ability to stay connected with your coworkers and clients while you're away from the office or working remotely is incredibly helpful, but there are times when it's important that you step away from the computer, put down your phone, and actually connect with other people face-to-face. It's great to communicate online and have constant access to our coworkers and clients when we're working together on a project, but we need to be sure that we are not just "working alone." We need to remember that when it comes to teamwork, quality trumps quantity every time.

Working alone can mean that you accomplish less in a day because no one else is out there helping you. For your productivity to remain at its highest, it's necessary that you have a team.

Most of the problems we face are created by the people who surround us: our coworkers, our managers, our clients, and sometimes even ourselves. Each one of us needs to be open to feedback and criticism from others, and then we need to be willing to accept that feedback and criticism in order to change ourselves in order for us to be better coworkers and bosses. When we surround ourselves with people who insist on criticizing every little thing we do instead of helping us improve, it definitely affects how our work turns out.

It's also true that even though we may not be sitting right next to someone all day long, we still need to be aware of how our actions affect others. For example, if you're always interrupting other people when they're trying to finish a conversation or make a request, it's time for you to step back and remember that you may not realize it (especially if people are clustered together in a meeting), but your actions affect everyone around you. On the other hand, when you listen to everyone else and then make an input into the conversation, you will be more likely to understand what others are saying and make adjustments in ways that benefit all of your colleagues instead of just yourself.

This is especially important if you're working remotely or on a virtual team. If you're not in the same location as your colleagues, it's vital that you take the time to learn about their culture and appreciate how they approach their work.

Check out my other posts:

The Importance of Being Social - https://www.bohoberry.com/blog/2016/1/17/the-importance-of-being-social The Value of Networking - https://www.bohoberry.com/blog/2015/11/2/the-value-of-networking The Value of Inbox Zero - https://www.bohoberry.com/blog/2016/2/11/the-value-of-inbox-zero The Value of Solitude - https://www.bohoberry.com/blog/2016/8/22/the-value-of-solitude What Makes a Good Leader? - https://www.bohoberry.com/blog/2016/5/5/what-makes-a-good-leader Value of Self Reflection (Part 1) - https://www.bohoberry.com/blog/?p=2470 Value of Self Reflection (Part 2) - https://www.bohoberry.

Conclusion If you're working in an office, you can still create and maintain a healthy work-life balance by taking advantage of all the great tools out there today. For example, if you're using Basecamp or Slack to communicate with your colleagues, it's still possible to have a healthy work-life balance because you can set your notifications so that they don't pop up constantly. If you have a team working together and are using G+ Hangouts as a video conferencing tool (or another similar technology), it's not necessary for everyone to be in the same location all day long. If your company has allowed for dedicated virtual teams or remote teams, then it's also possible to maintain a healthy work-life balance.