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Remote Office Culture - What it is and How to Create it
Implement Efforts to Create Remote Office Culture in a Virtual World
With many enterprise corporations opting to send their workforces into an indefinite state of remote work, the task of creating a remote office culture has never been more challenging.
That feeling of connection or camaraderie from one coworker to another can be difficult to recreate when the entire team is working at home. But a company that maintains a strong and valued work culture gives employees more incentive to assist one another, with an increased motivation to be more productive. Office culture boosts morale and can give employees greater purpose and meaning.
The core values and beliefs of a company are essential in supporting its long-term success.
Why Does a Company Need Remote Office Culture at All?
Human resource managers and business owners will need to think on their feet and develop a remote work culture that is both effective and inclusive. It might be easier to drop efforts completely, but that decision will come with significant impacts on team morale and productivity.
New hires within your company will have never experienced an office get-together or see the lighter and more friendly side of a manager in this new remote world. Without any culture at all, new employees might find themselves struggling to adapt to a fellow coworker’s personality or habits.
COVID-19 has literally isolated entire workforces, and office culture intends to do the exact opposite. Putting time and effort into office culture will undoubtedly have significant benefits to both employees and the bottom line. Remote office culture attempts to unify coworkers virtually, make them feel part of a team, and comfortable with their day-to-day work.
New Technology Emerges to Create Virtual Office Spaces
There are many digital tools that managers and HR professionals can use to create a virtual-sense of culture. Many project management tools allow for the celebrations of employee achievements, birthdays, and milestones, and sharing these messages company-wide. In addition, using group video conference calls is also a great option to make announcements or celebrate special occasions.
Now, company culture must be refined and communicated to staff and employees. Some companies, including Netflix, opted to publish many of their culture decks to the general public to solicit further thought and revision. The same can be implemented for a remote team, and HR managers can petition collaboration from the entire company to create a shared belief system remotely.
Adopt an Over-Communication Policy For Successful Remote Office Culture
Remote work requires a certain type of personality to succeed, one that generally over-communicates their status and progress. Over communicating can help employees feel more connected to each other, experience more collaboration, and ensure they never feel alone while working from home.
Implementing a policy that encourages employees to over-communicate via email will ensure tasks remain on schedule. If an employee has a large project and needs full concentration, this should be communicated to team members. These efforts help save time and ensure that teams are fully aligned with each other’s projects and deadlines.
Recreate the Water Cooler Effect in a Remote Office
The act of chit-chatting around the water cooler for a few minutes has been documented to create a greater sense of community and culture in the workplace. When employees get to know each other beyond the workplace, it also boosts employee morale.
Find time to recreate similar events that allow other employees to interact with each other even if they aren’t on the same team. This could be in the form of short scheduled video calls with pre-selected employees or just a group conference session on a recurring day.
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