How to build a strong remote culture: An in-depth guide
by Mecaely "Mickie" Wilson // HR Business Partner at Dialpad
Let’s face it. Businesses and organizations have been moving toward hybrid and remote work for a while now. (Sure, the pandemic may have sped that up, but it’s not a new phenomenon.)
And even though many employees are saying that they love remote work, there’s one big challenge from the company’s standpoint: How can you nurture and keep building a strong company culture when everyone is scattered around the world?
What is remote work?
Remote work is essentially when the employees of a company do their work outside of the main headquarters or physical office. In most cases, they work from home, but really, they could be working from anywhere they want.
Some companies can be fully remote, with no brick-and-mortar premises at all, while others operate a hybrid model where employees split their time between the office and home—or there may be a combination of permanently-office-based and permanently-remote staff.
What is remote culture?
Think of remote work culture as an extension of your overall company culture, which encompasses everything from your team’s values and expectations, the way employees communicate, their habits and behaviors, and more.
You may use similar tools and workflows as other companies, but each company has its own culture.
Of course, it’s much harder to maintain a strong culture when everyone’s scattered to the winds, but it’s worth it—companies that invest in this philosophy tend to have lower staff churn and higher profits.
Why is it important to build a healthy remote work culture?
It helps your remote employees feel connected
There’s no avoiding the fact that remote staff misses out on the social aspect of a traditional work environment—watercooler chat, office in-jokes, and other “invisible” elements that improve teamwork behind the scenes.
Working in isolation can be lonely and boring when you go all day without face-to-face contact from another human. Foster a culture that encourages employees to check in on each other and stay connected.
It contributes to overall employee engagement and retention
Teams are more productive when people get on well, have a good work-life balance, and are happy and fulfilled in their work. And more importantly, they stay with you longer.
An incredible 85% of businesses say that flexible remote policies have improved their overall productivity, and it shouldn’t be surprising.
One thing to keep in mind here is that fully remote teams and hybrid teams have slightly different challenges. A good hybrid work culture should make integration of remote and in-office employees a priority—something that 100% remote teams don’t have to contend with (though they have other obstacles to worry about).
It helps you recruit stronger candidates
One of the biggest advantages of remote work is that it allows you to recruit new hires from anywhere in the world, so you can attract the best talent and a more diverse team. Your remote culture plays a big role in creating a company that people want to work for. In fact, 83% of employees say that culture is a top factor when they’re deciding between companies.
Promoting your unique culture will attract candidates who are not only high-performing but also aligned with your core values.
4 signs of a healthy remote culture
Company culture is not always created on purpose. It often develops organically as people work side-by-side. And with remote work, it’s vital that you intentionally create a strong sense of culture that binds dispersed teams together.
Here are some crucial elements to pay attention to:
1. Clear, well-managed expectations
People aren’t mind-readers. If you want them to do something a certain way, you need to tell them! As with so many aspects of business, clear communication is at the heart of a successful and productive team. And that is twice as true for remote work.
Decide which communication channels should be used for which purposes. Typically, that means email for formal documents, instant messaging channels for casual discussions, and team conference calls for monthly town hall-style meetings.
2. Easy-to-use communication tools (that are actually being used!)
To make it easy for remote employees to stay connected, you need the right tools. Whether that’s project management software or a business phone system, or a UCaaS platform, your staff need to be able to talk to each other even if they’re not in the office.
A remote workforce needs to be equipped with remote-friendly tools!…
The more intuitive and easy-to-use those tools are, the more likely people are to use them.
3. Transparent communication
Transparency in the workplace is critical to building a culture of trust, and it has to come from the top down. We’ve mentioned the importance of clear expectations, but managers should also have virtual meetups with their remote employees regularly.
Video chat is perfect for this face-to-face communication, whether it’s 1:1 or via a team meeting.
4. Belonging and inclusion
This should go without saying, but in order to build trust, it’s important to make sure your remote employees feel like they belong, no matter their race, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
A few common ways companies approach this is by offering training on diversity and inclusion and setting up dedicated Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
7 tips for building a successful remote culture
In some ways, it’s easier if you’re a fully remote company, because there won’t be any disparity between remote and in-office staff. Either way, here are some tips on how to create a successful remote culture.
1. Define what your remote culture (and subculture) looks like
First step: Think about what you want your remote culture to be, in terms of working styles and practices. This should align with your core company values so that everyone understands the goals you are trying to accomplish.
2. Have a strong set of remote work policies
It’s more difficult for a distributed team to grasp the nuances of your culture, so it’s important to document not only the vision but also the way it will work in practice. Create a set of “work rules” that reflect remote culture, and make it easy to understand for new team members as well as old hands.
The policy should include guidelines on appropriate language and content in communications, expectations around flexibility, etiquette for video conferencing (no to PJs on client calls, yes to appearances from cute pets), and so on.
3. Have an internal comms person
Internal communication is so critical to the success of your remote culture that you should actually appoint an official person for this role. This employee will act as a steward for company culture and be a champion for remote staff. It needs to be someone who understands the value of remote workers and can communicate this to the high-ups.
4. Conduct feedback sessions regularly—you won’t get it right the first time
Your remote culture and policies have to be ready to adapt to changes, and that includes using feedback from employees! In a transparent organization, feedback is positively encouraged, and all staff should feel comfortable expressing concerns or suggestions.
5. Have an intentional meeting culture
You just have to make sure you’re not having meetings for the sake of having meetings! Let everyone know the reason behind them—are you introducing new hires, liaising with clients or stakeholders, or just having a catch-up? Send out an agenda ahead of time, and stick to it. While video calls can be useful, having a “No-meeting Thursdays,” give your team a bit of a break from the back-to-backs.
6. Have asynchronous communication options
There are times when a “live” conversation isn’t required. Asynchronous forms of communication such as email, SMS, and chat apps don’t need an immediate response. They recognize that people may be busy, or need time to consider their reply, or find out more information before getting back.
7. Re-evaluate and revamp your onboarding process
Your onboarding process needs to reflect your remote team culture. So, include details about your company culture and “work rules” in your job descriptions so that new employees know what to expect, and you’re more likely to attract those who are a good fit.
3 essential tools for building a successful remote culture
A good unified communications platform
Good communication is essential for remote work. And for most companies, that means communicating via voice calls, video meetings, and messaging. If you can, try to use versatile tools that can do multiple things well. With all your tools easily accessible from one place, productivity gets a boost—plus, you’ll save money because there’s no need to subscribe to lots of different apps.
A remote onboarding system
If you’re fully remote or recruiting from far afield, you’re going to need a strong remote onboarding process. That includes how you conduct interviews virtually, make calls to check references, and wrap up job offers and contracts—and that’s only a part of it!
Video is perfect for remote training sessions—and if you have a tool that has an in-meeting chat feature, even better. This way, new employees can ask questions and stay engaged without interrupting the presenter:
A project management platform
For remote culture to work smoothly, managers should have a real-time overview of the workflows so they can see what everyone’s working on without needing to constantly ask for updates.
For marketing and design teams, it’s also helpful if managers and project managers can create and assign tasks easily, and communicate these to the employees. A good project management tool like Asana or Trello is great for keeping all your projects and tasks organized.
Is your remote culture good to go?
If it’s not, you need to fix it, this is your chance to get it on the right path! Developing a strong remote culture will take hard work from everyone involved, and you need buy-in at all levels to make it work.
Whether you operate a fully remote or hybrid model, communication is the foundation for success. In a team that communicates well, there is transparency, trust, efficiency, and engagement—that’s why a truly unified comms platform like Dialpad will make all the difference.
Connect with our technology consultants to learn more about how TeleSwitch can make your transition to a robust communication solution like Dialpad. By switching to Dialpad, your employees can leverage a variety of tools that will allow you to implement an effective remote culture. With advanced calling features, business app integrations, and unified support across channels, Dialpad streamlines communications so you can provide a support experience customers will rave about.
TeleSwitch partners with Dialpad, offering unparalleled leading communication solutions that are easy to adopt and simple to use, allowing your employees to connect and communicate with your clients while having a successful digital transformation of your business.
You can find the complete article and some additional information by visiting the Dialpad website or using the direct link below.
How to build a strong remote culture: An in-depth guide
