Leading a team of individuals is no simple task — it takes patience, technical experience, and a ton of leadership skills. If you work in tech, you’ve probably heard the terms “Scrum Master” or “Project Manager” being thrown around in many of the day-to-day conversations you’re having. And if you’re new to the industry, you’ve probably asked yourself what makes the two roles so different.

After the pandemic, remote work became mainstream. In IT, hiring global developers has become necessary for those who want access to a better talent pool. However, most of the benefits that remote work brings to the table are impossible without understanding how to enhance collaboration and dynamics between remote employees. Having the right working tools helps teams organize better and more efficiently, allowing them to coordinate time zones, manage workload, keep track of projects, and more.

Poor communication could be shrinking your paycheck and cost a single company over $60 million annually. Small companies aren’t immune to poor communication woes, either. Communication blunders cost $420,000 per year in companies with 100 employees or fewer. Big or small, poor communication costs companies money. This loss of revenue can certainly impact employee salaries and bonuses.

Did you know that 71% of employees say they’re more productive when they feel connected to their colleagues through communication? This shows the importance of effective communication in the workplace. No doubt, the communication techniques used in a work environment affect employee performance and collaboration efforts. Top-down communication is a common form of communication in the workplace and has both positive and negative impacts on collaboration efforts and employee engagement.

In the 1944 film Gaslight, Ingrid Bergman plays a woman who is manipulated by her husband to the point where she questions her own memory and even sanity. FYI, Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for that film. This phenomenon is not limited to fiction, nor is it confined to relationships. Gaslighting can happen in workplaces as well. Someone could be casting a manipulative web around you without your knowledge. You need to act wise and fast.