Thanks to modern technology and, in part, the current health concerns in the world, the global work environment has changed considerably in the last few years. Centralized company structures, where every employee works from the head office, may as well be a thing of the past. Instead, it is becoming more popular to have some employees work from their homes, whether across town or on the other side of the world.
Yet, leading a remote team is not an easy task. Building coherent and positive culture with employees on the “other side” of the computer is often tricky. So what can you do, as a founder or manager, to create a positive company culture with a remote team in your startup?
#1 Refine your company values
Every company has its values, but not every company truly lives and works by them. That said, take a close look at your startup values. Then, if needed, refine them, but do that by including the entire team ― having a set of values that every employee shares can harness a positive direction your culture takes. Finally, try to install modeled and rewarding behaviors that demonstrate each value. As a result, your employees will be constantly reminded of what their company stands for and will work harder to adhere to those principles.
#2 Organize virtual parties
Work has its stressful moments, and believe it or not, people rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. On top of it, keeping a team connected while physically distanced is a real challenge.
For this reason, you should introduce activities that encourage employee engagement. Give your team time to socialize, relax and reconnect by holding virtual gatherings.
For instance, you should consider organizing events for holidays. There are numerous virtual holiday party ideas that will ensure the success of your virtual event. From fabulous holiday-themed get-togethers to thanking your team for their challenging work events, your virtual parties can help you bond with your teammates and improve overall productivity and morale.
#3 Encourage an environment of open communication
Another great way to build a positive company culture is to keep your team’s communication channels clear and open. However, before doing that, you need to set expectations on which communication channels are to be used for what topic.
By setting the tone and encouraging communications, you show transparency and promote an environment where everybody contributes. Depending on your team size and your work, the more casual you are with team communication channels, the better your employees become at being open, transparent, and effective in their daily tasks.
#4 Welcome new employees in front of the entire team
If you were all in the office, you would not hesitate to welcome a new hire. But working with a remote team should not be an excuse to ignore this. So, how can you go about this from afar?
First, ask your new team member five questions about themselves, then circulate their answers to the entire team via email, along with a welcome. In addition, you could encourage them to arrange one-on-one meetings with as many team members as they feel comfortable, particularly those they are supposed to work closely with. These meetings will teach them more about your company culture than any HR document you share with them. Moreover, they will have a great chance to get to know everyone personally and gain a more comprehensive understanding of who is responsible for what among their coworkers.
#5 Take time to learn about every team member
If you are sitting beside a coworker in the office every day, learning a lot about them will not take long. But, of course, that becomes more of a challenge when your team is remote. That being said, make an effort to learn about each of your employees or coworkers through informal discussions, which can be part of your weekly meetings or one-on-one working sessions.
You can even consider running a staff-wide survey on favorite meals, books, vacation places, or movies — simple and fun interactions such as this will show your employees that you care about them personally and help grow a positive company culture with your remote team.
The bottom line
Building a positive culture in your startup where everyone feels appreciated, welcomed, and respected is vital to your success. But, of course, cultivating a great work experience does not happen overnight.
However, the above tips can significantly help you create a productive startup with a remote team of employees. So use them, and we assure you that you are on the right track to changing your company’s culture for the better.
