It’s no secret that a positive workplace culture is vital for business success. When your team is bonded by the vision of the business and invested in the work they are doing, good things happen!
However, workplaces aren’t always operating in a traditional sense any more.
Many businesses are embracing remote work. This is great for flexibility (and keeping a business going through a pandemic!), but it can make it more challenging to organically grow and nurture that same sense of connection and culture.
However, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to build a great culture. We just have to adapt and learn how to do it virtually!
Here are some of the best ways to build a fantastic virtual culture for remote teams.
Building a Great Virtual Workplace Culture for Remote Teams
Why Workplace Culture Is Tricker To Build With Remote Teams
Culture isn’t something that can be forced or rushed, but it can be nurtured. In traditional workplaces, people see each other every day. They bond during coffee breaks and stop to say hi and connect throughout the day.
These acts of connection and communication happen organically and result in a unique culture over time.
Because remote teams are physically distanced, these interactions don’t happen naturally. Without some thought and planning, you might find it challenging to create an in-sync, connected remote team.
The Importance Of A Strong Remote Work Culture
Regardless of the challenges, it is essential to invest in this aspect of your business. Companies with a positive culture are more profitable, have lower staff turnover, and have a stronger brand.
In many ways, remote teams need a positive work culture more than on-site teams. By its very nature, remote work can be quite isolating, leading people to feel lonely and disconnected. A great work culture remedies these feelings and builds a shared sense of purpose and camaraderie.
How To Build A Great Virtual Culture
The great news is, there are lots of simple ways that you can encourage a great virtual culture for your team, regardless of their location. They are:
Be crystal clear on your and values purpose
Purpose-driven businesses are more successful than those without a clear vision. Ensure your team members have the information they need to get on board. You can do that by sharing your mission in remote work handbooks or communicating it using other internal resources.
Prioritise psychological safety
If you want your remote team to be engaged and contribute, you need to foster a sense of inclusion and safety. When people feel they can speak up, voice their opinions and share their ideas without fear of rejection or reprisal, they are more engaged and innovative.
Build trust
Your remote team must feel you trust them to get their work done, even if they are working from home. Rather than policing the number of hours worked, shift the focus to the output and results that are being generated.
Encourage non-work conversations and meetups
Culture isn’t developed by work and work alone. There is a lot of value in non-work camaraderie and conversations. Provide spaces and opportunities for your team to interact online – Slack channels are a great way to facilitate this. As are virtual coffee dates and fun online events like team quizzes.
Support work/life balance
It’s easy for the lines between work and home to become blurred if people work at home. Managers need to set the right example by drawing a line in the sand regarding work hours. This can get tricky if people are in different time zones, but you can ask your team to create blocks in their calendar stating when they are available and when they aren’t. Respect these blocks and ensure people are getting enough downtime. Check out this article on whether work/life balance is achievable.
Share the big picture
It’s important for people to understand how the company works outside of their own task list. If they get a glance at the bigger picture, they can see the impact their work is having. So, where appropriate, provide updates from different teams and departments so that everyone has the chance to be across business goings on.
Value your team
Recognition and appreciation are vital in building a great virtual culture. Make sure you recognise and reward good work both privately and in public channels. Give credit where credit is due and celebrate wins both big and small.
Ask for feedback
Not everything you do to build your remote culture will be successful, but that doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Ask your team how they think things are going, what they like, what they don’t like, and if they have any suggestions for how to improve their remote workplace.
Embrace Different Ways Of Working
If you used to need extra help in your team, it would mean hiring a new staff member. But these days, there are more flexible options available.
With the rise of the gig economy and so many small businesses offering expertise in every area imaginable, you don’t have to commit to employment if it is not the right path for your business. You can simply engage a small business or contractor for the specific tasks you need completed.
By working with a virtual assistant or a bookkeeper, you can engage them for any number of tasks that you need completed. Some weeks it might be 10 or 20 hours of work, some it might be none. This is a flexibility you wouldn’t have with an employee!
They are also used to embracing a remote working culture and will be able to slot into your team seamlessly.
So, if you would like to embrace a remote team member that has the skill and expertise to help your business grow, then get in touch with the team here at Admin Army today.