Building a Strong Work Culture With a Remote Team

Based on a study conducted by Deloitte (2019), pre-pandemic, ninety-four percent of executives and eighty-eight percent of regular employees believe that strong work culture is vital to any business’ success. It was also revealed that there is a correlation between employees who felt happy and valued at work and those who mentioned their company has an exceptional work culture. This only means that well-established work culture is key to keeping employees engaged and can also positively influence employee retention. Gallup (2020) in their study found that employees who are highly engaged at work are 59% less likely to quit and find a new job in the next 12 months.

Especially in these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic where many employments and employees are equally uncertain towards each other, building a strong work culture should be of high importance now more than ever. While some employees may have previous experience with remote work prior to the pandemic, it is an entirely different ball game for those shifting for the first time. However, both employees are not excused from experiencing problems remote workers are usually confronted with. According to the State of Remote Work by Buffer (2019), remote workers’ common challenges are unplugging after work, loneliness, communication, distractions, staying motivated, and taking vacations —  and these things are what a work culture aims to address. When these are mitigated, you can observe and open your eyes to a more positive workplace culture where teamwork is improved, productivity, efficiency, and reliability are increased, work performance and employee morale are always high and your employees stay long. Your workers are satisfied with their jobs, collaborative, and are performing and delivering. This kind of workplace reduces stress in employees and rekindles the Confucian values “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life again”. When your employees love what they do and where they are doing it, the job will always feel like the best choice more than a burden.

Here are ways to turn the tables around and find the fun in things:

1. Be clear with your goals.

Communication is key in attaining business success and leaders have to always enlighten, motivate and ensure all remote teams are headed in the same direction. Set an objective for each team to work on and encourage collaboration. By doing so, you are reawakening their sense of professional purpose. If it helps to motivate, set quotas.

1. Establish diversity and workplace inclusivity.

To each his own they say, and your remote team should celebrate these differences. Let employees choose the pronouns they prefer, ask them what would make them feel comfortable working in your organization, and open your recruitments to all people from the gender spectrum and various demographic profiles.

1. Allot a room for positivity.

In your internal work chat, invite all members of your organization to be in a group dedicated only to positivity where they can share photos, stories, or anything they think that will make their remote colleagues smile and brighten up their day.

1. Check-in on everyone.

In hosting online meetings, ensure that you check in on your team first before talking about work. It is a way to exercise positive speech, empathy and improve openness in your discourse. Set the tone by asking your employees to share how they are feeling, a recent realization, or an issue they might need help with.

1. Celebrate small and big wins.

Virtually host a recognition or gratitude night which can highlight employee achievements and recognizes each employee’s hard work and effort. Gather all the reviews and feedbacks given to them and share it with everyone in the organization. Prepare a certificate or an electronic badge as their reward.

1. Harvest feedbacks and use them.

One way to boost employee engagement is to make them feel they count. Listening to your remote employees and making sure their voices are heard and valued can bring positive effects to your employee productivity and retention. According to CultureIQ (2020), eighty-six percent of employees from companies with strong work cultures feel their senior leaders listen to them, as compared to seventy percent of employees without a strong work culture.

1. Show flexibility.

Remote work offers flexibility after all, but sometimes it might need a bigger room and larger understanding. Learn how to compromise with your team especially when times are really tough for them. Let them be their truest and authentic selves. When they have made a mistake or a blunder, do not jump in the repercussions or sanctions right away. An organization with strong work culture does not focus on the blame game but rather on the solution.

Building a strong remote work culture also means offering your employees a fantastic employment experience. By treating your people right, all the more that you get higher-performing, engaged, happier, and goal-driven employees.

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