The shift to remote and hybrid work over the past few years has transformed company cultures. With employees spread out instead of sitting together in one office space, fostering a cohesive and positive culture can seem daunting. However, leaders can create thriving cultures with intention and effort even when teams are distributed. Here are tips for building a winning company culture in the era of flexible work models:
Promote Open Communication
With remote employees, it can be easier for miscommunications and feelings of disconnection to creep in. Make communication across the organization a priority. Encourage team members to actively communicate about projects, needs, or blockers. Institute regular check-ins between managers and direct reports and provide open channels for company-wide discussions.
Spotlight Values
Clearly articulate your company’s values and spotlight them often. Values unite distributed teams with a shared sense of purpose and priorities. Reference values when giving feedback and recognition and share stories of them in action. Rather than values just being words on paper or a website, demonstrate them in how you operate on a daily basis.
Invest in Relationships
When you don’t run into coworkers around the office, you must be more intentional about relationship building. Make spaces for water cooler chat that aren’t strictly work-related. Organize virtual coffee meetings for colleagues to catch up. Gather distributed team members through off-site retreats and team-building activities when possible. The personal connections will be fruitful in more aligned, invested teams.
Facilitate Inclusion
Remote work carries the risk of team members feeling unseen, especially those in minority groups. Survey employees about their sense of belonging and implement focus groups to better understand concerns. Offer mentorship and employee resource groups tailored to underrepresented populations. Confront exclusionary or biased language or behaviors swiftly and clearly. A diversity of perspectives and backgrounds leads to better innovation and results.
Offer Flexibility
Support employees’ well-being and productivity by providing flexibility regarding when and where they work. Empower people to adjust their schedules to fit duties outside of work and their personal or family needs. Your culture should celebrate outputs and outcomes rather than focusing on time spent online or strict 9 to 5 schedules. Provide asynchronous communication options so people can catch up on their own time.
Give Recognition
Appreciation and recognition build morale and loyalty among distributed employees who otherwise miss out on those “in the moment” expressions of thanks. Offer social recognition during meetings for recent wins and milestones—spotlight and praise cross-functional collaborations. Implement peer recognition awards or programs allowing employees to nominate and vote for coworkers who exemplify your values. Public and creative displays of appreciation make people feel valued.
Measure and Adapt
Regularly gather structured feedback from your employees through engagement surveys, stay interviews, or focus groups. Ask pointed questions about employees’ sense of connection, ability to balance work and personal life in a distributed environment, the effectiveness of communication practices, and more. Identify areas where remote employees may feel disconnected or hindered in order to address issues and continue optimizing your culture.
The move to flexible, remote work isn’t fading anytime soon. With some adaptation and innovation, leaders can build company cultures that are just as strong, aligned, and “team-spirited” as when teams occupy physical offices. It simply takes focus on the human experience and being creative to foster bonds across laptop screens. What tips do you have for nurturing culture in the age of remote work? I’d love to hear other ideas and insights in the comments below!
Published By: Aize Perez
