Fostering Company Culture in a Remote Setting

Maintaining company culture during a pandemic requires more than providing snacks and foosballs. Employees need clear guidance in making higher-level decisions while working remotely.

Here are a few best practices for creating, expanding, and supporting team culture in an offsite location. These ideas will foster positive relationships among employees while contributing to your business's overall success - no matter where employees clock in each day.

1. Establish explicit communication norms

Establishing explicit communication norms and channels is the cornerstone of creating a thriving company culture in a remote setting, enabling employees to work independently while still feeling engaged with the mission and vision of the organization. Furthermore, remote employees can ask questions or seek assistance when needed. 

As previously discussed, it is also essential that organizations foster an environment of open communication in remote settings by ensuring employees have access to their managers and leadership team - this can be accomplished via regular check-ins or one-on-one meetings - while it would also be wise to establish mentoring systems specifically targeted towards remote employees as a support network in case issues or concerns arise.

Finally, it is vital to establish an internal communication channel that all employees can use to share ideas and information freely. This can be accomplished via creating an online platform like Slack or holding retreats that bring employees together face-to-face and focus on team building and the company values. In addition, regular feedback should be sought from remote employees through surveys or one-on-one meetings to adapt the company culture appropriately based on that feedback.

2. Encourage face-to-face interactions

Establishing remote company cultures involves face-to-face interactions between members, which help build trust and social cohesion among team members and encourage collaboration and teamwork. They're an essential way of sharing information, fostering accountability, and ensuring everyone is heard.

Encourage your team to incorporate face-to-face meetings into their schedules, especially as a leader. This will give them confidence that managers and teammates take seriously their commitment to communicate effectively; these interactions allow for the resolution of any queries or issues that arise, as well as recognition for contributions made.

The success of a remote work environment depends upon ensuring all employees understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders must take proactive steps in setting clear goals and expectations for remote work, including project deadlines, key performance indicators, quality standards, and more. Provide remote teams professional development opportunities such as virtual training sessions, mentorship programs, and learning resources. Zoom does this through regular full-team meetings, community projects that comply with COVID regulations, and a Happiness Crew who organizes fun (but COVID-compliant!) outings! Such support fosters an inclusive culture in which employees feel like their efforts are appreciated by management.

3. Provide access to professional development

Professional development opportunities for remote employees are critical to keeping them engaged and happy in their roles. Offering workshops or mentorship programs allows remote employees to gain new skills from others as they take their skills further, showing that your company cares about their growth and is invested in their success.

One way to foster professional development is to offer employee benefits such as paid time off or health insurance coverage, enabling employees to manage their personal lives and office productivity more easily.

As remote employees are only sometimes on-site for meetings and one-on-one meetings, regular feedback must be sought from them to make necessary adjustments. This can be achieved via surveys, one-on-one sessions, or anonymous feedback channels - it will allow your employees to express their thoughts and feel heard and valued by your organization.

Fostering a positive company culture may be complex, but it is crucial for productivity and morale. As more businesses move away from physical offices to establish virtual cultures outside the physical office, building strong relationships across teams and ensuring all are on board is more crucial than ever if your culture is to thrive no matter where your employees work. Use these tips to foster an environment in which employees flourish no matter where they're based.

4. Establish digital peer-to-peer recognition

Digital peer-to-peer recognition programs can be essential in building company culture in remote settings. Such recognition ensures all team members feel included and valued, regardless of their location or role.

Peer-to-peer recognition programs foster a flatter hierarchical structure, something many workers desire in their workplace environments. This is especially essential for remote employees who often feel disconnected from their coworkers. Ensure your program is user-friendly and encourages participation by all team members regardless of role or tenure within your company.

Fostering a positive company culture in a remote setting requires trust, open communication, and adaptability from leaders. Leading by example is critical as this sends a clear signal to team members. Furthermore, providing opportunities for professional development and gathering feedback through surveys or one-on-one discussions will allow you to make changes to ensure a pleasant work environment for all employees involved.

5. Create a company-wide newsletter

An employee newsletter is ideal for staying informed on company news without holding group meetings or interrupting productivity. Plus, it is a perfect venue for celebrating employee successes and achievements and providing training and career development resources.

Engage employees in your newsletter by including engaging segments like photos of the week or memes, similar to water cooler conversations in offices. Not only will they improve morale and provide some welcome distraction, but these types of engagement tactics could provide employees with some fun distraction while they go about their day.

Another effective strategy for keeping employees engaged with your newsletter is including content relevant to their hobbies and interests. This might consist of recommendations of books to read, food recipes to try, movies/shows to watch/attend, webinars/training events that they could attend, etc. Such content increases employee engagement by making people want to open the newsletter (primarily if its subject line or ranges draw their interest) instead of seeing it as just another email that needs daily deleting. They might even start looking forward to receiving it instead of seeing it as another 30 emails to delete daily!

6. Create a blog

Company culture plays a vital role in employee morale. According to studies, engaged employees are 17% more productive and have a 41% lower absenteeism rate than their disengaged colleagues. But company culture doesn't just encompass team activities or employee perks - it means creating an environment that upholds your organization's core values.

Attracting team members who embrace your company values daily is critical to creating a positive company culture, so arming your team with tools for success - such as your blog - is equally essential in creating a positive company culture.

Blogs (or weblogs) are informational websites that feature diary-style articles or links to external websites organized in reverse chronological order. Blogs may focus on one subject like web design or home staging or be more eclectic with various topics covered.

Successful blogs focus on being reader-centric and reflecting community interests and concerns, like Teach Away's blog on teaching English abroad opportunities for potential teachers - providing helpful information such as working holiday visas, teaching qualifications, and profiles of former participants in their program.

7. Encourage employee feedback

Though it's tempting to only seek feedback when there is an issue, seeking it proactively allows employees to view it as something they can trust while showing that leaders care for and value the opinions of their team members.

Encouragement is integral to building and sustaining a productive, engaged workplace culture, especially in remote work environments. Motivation creates psychological safety, resulting in more productivity and engagement from employees.

Implement daily huddles and weekly virtual meetings to stay in contact with team members and keep them updated on projects. Or host town hall-style meetings or luncheon events so your employees feel safe sharing any concerns with you; when this occurs, listen attentively and act upon it immediately.

While providing constructive feedback can be challenging, doing so will enable your team members to mature personally and professionally. Access to professional development programs will make employees feel valued and recognized, motivating them to keep performing at a high level for your company. For instance, consider offering a stipend for education courses, hosting video-conferencing meetings featuring guest speakers for "lunch and learns," or providing access to online personal and professional development programs for team members.