How To Build and Maintain An Effective Remote Culture
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IT Jobs and Recruitment Insights
“What’s the key for a business to be successful?” That's a question that brings many aspects and opinions to the table. I personally think that having a healthy work culture is one of the key elements.
What are the benefits of fostering a healthy work culture?
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People want to stay and grow within the company
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Lower stress levels
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Productivity levels increase
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Job satisfaction improves
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Better company brand and reputation in the market
Nowadays, company culture has become an important decision-making factor when switching jobs. From speaking with people from the industry, most of them affirm that employees consider a good workplace culture more important than their salary. People prefer to have a salary reduction and co-live in a healthy environment rather than stay unhappy in a micromanaged workplace (or what I’d rather call toxic cultures).
The company culture defines the organisation. For me, the company culture is not something that you build from one day to another. It takes continuous dedication and time from the HR department, the leadership team, and of course, the employees themselves. People support people, that’s the key.
During the pandemic, most companies started working remotely overnight. Imagine the challenge of being in lockdown but also being a business owner where you have a number of employees depending on you. There were so many unknowns and new practices that had to be adopted. This time really tested the fabric of work culture across the world.
How to build a remote culture and be successful at it?
Nowadays, the cost-saving benefits of having a remote team and also building a good culture are two main factors (and goals) that business owners focus on. There is a need to cultivate a remote work culture that can create an environment of transparency, trust and productivity while giving employees a sense of belonging even when they are not in face-to-face interactions and miles apart from their coworkers.
Main factors to consider when having a remote culture:
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Technology: This is your most important factor to be able to build a remote culture. Why? Because technology helps to keep your employees connected and, most importantly, to do their jobs.
Providing your employees with the right technology and equipment for them to do their job is crucial. Employees tend to leave their positions if they don’t feel comfortable using the company’s equipment and tools.
It can be much easier, if you’re physically at the workplace, to go to another floor and speak to the right team who will help you within seconds. Being at home, alone and having to do everything yourself can be hard, especially if you are having technical difficulties with your equipment and tools. We suggest implementing simplicity and efficiency in your technology.
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Define your remote culture’s policy: Establish meetings, working hours, benefits, feedback surveys, and 1-to-1 meetings between managers and team members, to have a reliable remote culture.
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Creating a ‘let’s grow together mindset’: No matter the location of your employees, the company culture should be always welcoming and supportive to all the employees. Investing in your employees by providing them with the right opportunity to grow, learn new skills and explore beyond the boundaries of what they can accomplish, helps to build a successful team.
This shows them that you really value them and are ready to invest in their potential.
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Trust your employees: There are two things that are important to be able to create a healthy remote work culture: number one is having smooth communication between the high-level decision makers and secondly, trusting your team to handle their work, even while working remotely. Your employees will only support you when you show that you trust them.
Avoid micromanagement and constant checking in. Honesty and transparency are key to having good communication and increasing productivity.
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Socialising: The social aspect of the company is very important for your employees. When your employees feel like you care about them and listen to their needs and concerns, they will feel appreciated and increase their levels of productivity. From day 1, make sure everyone knows your new employee when onboarding them, first impressions matter!
Employers and managers should make an effort and get to know their team. Keeping your employees more engaged contributes to a positive company culture.
Host online events, and coffee meetings (or a cocktail meeting on Friday haha) during the day to avoid the isolation of working remotely and build a sense of community.
Investing in mental health as well is important while working remotely. People can often feel isolated or lonely. Providing services or activities to help to improve the employee’s wellness will make a huge difference.
Working towards having a strong remote work culture where your employees feel valued and empowered to perform their best work is an ongoing process that requires a lot of deliberate effort and time. Firstly, you need to define what you expect from it and secondly, how are you gonna provide the space for your employees to grow.
The goal is to make the most out of your company’s culture and foster transparency in order to create an environment of belonging and trust. By doing this your organisation will keep growing and thriving! If you would like a few more pointers on establishing a well-functioning remote culture, get in touch with us today.
