In the recent few years, many companies have been adopting remote working. The number of people working remotely is increasing rapidly; in the United States only, it has reached almost 53%. When most of the work happens online, it is easy to slip into alienation from your workmates and your company spirit. So, working from home and maintaining a positive and constructive remote work culture is challenging. How can these companies cultivate a positive company culture within their working teams? And how to help individual teammates to have a happy and productive life and a good balance between life and work?
1. Have a well-defined company culture and share it
What exactly is company culture? It is a set of beliefs that defines the identity of your organization. It encompasses your vision and aspiration – what your company has as its primary goal and aspiration and what value it is bringing to the world. It also includes all the qualities and virtues it encourages as a basis for the collaboration of the team members, like honesty, integrity, loyalty, compassion, patience, perseverance, desire for growth and development, and much more. These build the character of the organization. Your company culture also has a set of ground rules that team members share every day for their interaction and the smooth running of the internal processes. It is good to have this company culture well-defined and shared with all the team members during regular meetings and make sure they feel it. But not as a set of burdensome rules. They should see how this company culture benefits them and can satisfy their needs.
2. Create an environment of positivity and encouragement
When there is insufficient encouragement in the team, and there is a constant flow of tasks without proper recognition of the job well done, workers can get very stressed out. Companies need to avoid that at all costs. All high-achievers and all accomplishments need to be recognized and encouraged. When a team member is underperforming, the supervisor should take the time to look into the matter. He should do that in a non-judgemental way. First, it is good to say what good has been done and accomplished, then what sides need to be improved.
The encouragement and praise help remote workers feel they are appreciated and that their contribution is essential to the company they are working with.
3. Encourage creativity and the sharing of ideas.
Some employees have creative and constructive ideas that can significantly benefit the company. However, because of their subordinate position, they might hesitate to share them so openly. Creating a culture where brainstorming and creativity are encouraged might contribute tremendously to the team spirit and company culture and help your company in many ways.
You can create opportunities for team members that are more introverted to share their ideas by creating an idea box where everyone can share their suggestions. Paying attention to and appreciating every team member’s input will contribute to growing a positive company culture of mutual growth and thriving.
4. Make use of technology to create an accessible communication channel.
If you use multiple communication channels, your team members may not be controlling them, and some communication might be lost. And if your communication tools are too complicated or inefficient, some might be reluctant to use them. This might create significant issues. Communication is the river flow of the team; if the water in the river becomes stagnant, the ecosystem will be affected.
Create a communication environment where you can spread positivity and creativity and where people feel encouraged to share their experiences, questions, doubts, or what they need to face in their work with the team.
5. Encourage socializing outside work.
It is challenging for a remote team to socialize outside working hours. But suppose your team feels like a big family, sharing the same mission, vision, and values. In that case, your team members can work on personal growth or individual projects or engage in team-building activities together. Focusing on such interactions and developing actual friendships is crucial because a team is built by human beings. We can learn so much from one term by sharing our ideas, experiences, and plans positively and constructively.
In Conclusion:
Do you feel some of these tips are too idealistic for your team to apply? It is a real challenge to gather a team and keep them motivated and productive while helping them grow on a personal level. However, more and more companies managing remote or offshoring groups are more concerned about this aspect. For example, the term Yourshoring invented by Turnkey represents this culture where the company is aided in selecting a team aligned with the organization’s character – vision, mission, and purpose. When such a team is created, bonding together and around a noble and good goal is more effortless. Companies also use other strategies to develop and maintain a great remote work culture. Please share your ideas; it will be great to hear them!
Ingrid Maldine is a business writer, editor and management consultant with extensive experience writing and consulting for both start-ups and long established companies. She has ten years management and leadership experience gained at BSkyB in London and Viva Travel Guides in Quito, Ecuador, giving her a depth of insight into innovation in international business. With an MBA from the University of Hull and many years of experience running her own business consultancy, Ingrid’s background allows her to connect with a diverse range of clients, including cutting edge technology and web-based start-ups but also multinationals in need of assistance. Ingrid has played a defining role in shaping organizational strategy for a wide range of different organizations, including for-profit, NGOs and charities. Ingrid has also served on the Board of Directors for the South American Explorers Club in Quito, Ecuador.
