6 ways businesses new to remote working can adapt quickly and keep productivity high, according to a career and leadership coach

When you're working in a team environment that's remote, video communication is a perfect way to maintain connections with colleagues.

Karin Reed, founder of Speaker Dynamics, is an expert in on-camera communication. According to Reed, "Text and teleconference simply cannot compete with video when it comes to creating team cohesion."

"There might be some initial reluctance among team members," Reed added. "Know that the vast majority of people do not like how they look or sound on video. But the only way to get past that hump is to rip off the bandaid (or the duct tape you may have over your webcam) and start getting comfortable with seeing yourself in this environment."

Whenever you have video enabled, you'll find that your meetings are more productive and also feel more personal — and who doesn't want that?

All too often, more junior or newer members of a team can feel left out in virtual settings. These individuals are less likely to have access to key resources and information, and run the risk of trailing behind when they're not thought of as the go-to person to call with a problem or question.

To combat this tendency, make a master list of all of your team members (and put their photos next to their names) and keep it in front of you while you're working each day. This will help you make more conscious decisions about allocating information and tasks. You can ask yourself, "Did I reach out to Susan today?" Make sure to have touch points with everyone on your team regularly.

Helping people to visualize where you are working will help your remote colleagues to better understand the potential challenges or distractions that might exist.

If you've been forced to work remotely, you may not have the ideal environment for it. (Dogs that bark, roommates that also work from home, construction close by, etc.) But sharing those challenges with your teammates can help create empathy and build a deeper connection between colleagues. So don't be shy: Give your team a tour of your workspace! The next time your dog barks incessantly when the school bus drives by, you're sure to get laughs and understanding from your colleagues, rather than annoyance.

Everyone has vastly different preferences when working remotely, and it's important to take these preferences into account when migrating to remote work.

In order to do this effectively, encourage each person to create a manual (not unlike a dishwasher instructional manual) for remote working preferences. This includes preferred communication styles, ideal working hours, boundaries, and personal time to be respected.

Luckily for you, The Authenticity Guide has put together an absolutely free manual for just this purpose. Sign up to receive our newsletter here and you'll get a free copy right then and there!

Video-enabled meetings are typically very focused: It's impossible to multitask when everyone can see what you're doing. While this is great for productivity, it can also be exhausting.

Video meetings should be kept to a maximum of one hour. Make sure you're giving everyone time to take breaks, turn off their video and audio, stretch their legs, or grab something to eat and drink.

And Reed has one last tip on that note: "Never eat on camera. No one can pull that off professionally!"