Remote work has become a permanent reality at many companies. However, the impact this will have on collaboration and team cohesion still remains to be seen. How can you support a healthy culture when your workers are scattered to different locations?
It’s a critical question for business leaders in the coming years. The pandemic accelerated a trend towards more flexible working schedules, forcing many companies to adopt remote options as a way to survive the COVID restrictions. Even as the virus has begun to pass, telecommuting has become hardwired into many companies’ operational structures. Now, a majority of all employers (56%) allow some form of remote work.
Meanwhile, employees have come to expect remote options. One study found that one in three employees would quit if they had to come into the office every day. Clearly, it’s important for companies to build a corporate environment that can still thrive in a hybrid future.
With that in mind, here are some tips for creating a culture around a remote workforce that will continue to encourage high productivity and innovation:
Have You Created a Plan for Remote Culture?
Clearly Describe Your Cultural Goals
Set out what you plan to accomplish through your culture. Define your vision and your goals. At the same time, clearly communicate this to your employees and reiterate your values as often as possible.
Set the Tone
Your employees take their cultural cues from you and the other members of your management team. Having a policy isn’t enough. You have to live it day-to-day.
This becomes even more important in a remote work situation. Because of the decentralized structure, your employees have less casual contact with you and other supervisors. As such, every small action they perceive becomes crucial in determining a cultural identity.
Stay in Contact
A remote work structure can make employees feel like they are on an island on their own. It’s up to you to give them a stronger sense of belonging.
Given this dynamic, you should take steps to keep your individual workers involved in the larger project of building your company. Talk to them regularly. Encourage a bond. The circumstances surrounding remote work puts the impetus on you to remain in contact and build up healthy lines of communication.
Use Multiple Forms of Communication
The modern era gives you multiple ways to stay in touch with your remote staff. Individual workers may respond better to some forms of communication rather than others. Make sure that you solidify your corporate culture by reinforcing it through multiple lines of communication
Consider methods like:
- Text
- Calls
- Video Chat
- Social Media Content
- Content on Your Website
- In-Person Catch Ups
Celebrate Successes
Give people updates about the general progress of the company. As part of this, find ways to celebrate successes as they happen. This will remind your team members that their hard work contributes to a larger goal. It also reinforces ties to the broader organization.
Beyond team achievements, offer rewards for individual accomplishments. This can take the form of bonuses or additional vacation, or it can simply involve spotlighting their success.
Find Opportunities for Collaboration
Remote work complicates collaboration. The casual exchanges of ideas that happen when people share a physical space become impossible. In general, this makes the process far less organic and spontaneous.
However, there are ways to overcome this challenge. You just have to get more intentional and mindful about the process. Encourage collaboration among your staff members, even in circumstances where it’s not strictly necessary. Adding a team dynamic might sacrifice some efficiency, but the added contact your employees have with each other will boost innovation and provide a more solid cultural foundation.
How is Your Remote Culture?
Having a successful remote culture starts by hiring the right employees. A top staffing agency, like Recruiting In Motion, can bring you the team members you need to maximize your potential.
Contact Recruiting In Motion today to discover the best talent you can find.
