101: Maintaining culture
Creating and fostering a strong remote workplace culture helps not only retain existing employees but can attract job seekers as well. A positive company culture – even when work is remote – shines through. Employees must know their opinions matter, that all team members are productive and accountable. Here are some ways managers can keep remote work culture healthy.
Facilitate check-ins. It should be someone’s responsibility to actively check in with remote workers, as colleagues aren’t seeing each other in hallways, cubicles and around the water cooler as they used to, says Forbes’ Carrie Kerpen. These one-on-one check-ins should have a purpose of gathering information as they impact office culture and should be done regularly. “Both qualitative and quantitative data are useful here, so do individual chats for anecdotal information if possible, but surveys are also a great way to fill in the missing puzzle pieces with numbers,” she writes.
Create virtual ties that bind, based on in-person office life. TheBalanceCareers.com cites a survey showing 68% of employees feel virtual workshops create a strong remote work culture. Weekly virtual staff meetings were the next most popular offering, at 66%. “Retain your day-to-day reminders of the culture you want to have and reinforce,” says Susan M. Heathfield. “Did you eat lunch together once a week when working in the office? Then, eat lunch together virtually.” Teams can set up practices that strengthen their remote-work bonds and share them with other teams in the company, she says.
Suggest teams try silent work video chats, keeping cameras on while they work. For some teams, keeping the camera on helps foster a spontaneous-idea environment more like a real office. Alison Goldberg and Jen Jamula at TheMuse.com say it can be a boost for morale and mood, mimicking a co-working space, alleviating isolation.
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