A company’s culture determines how its employees behave and feel about their jobs. Positive company culture can make employees happy and productive. But a negative one can lead to low morale, turnover, and even legal action. On the other hand, creating a corporate culture is a difficult task. Building a shared set of values that everyone can buy into takes time and effort. So, how should you proceed?
Place Employee Wellbeing at the Forefront
When developing a corporate culture in a remote company, it is critical to prioritize employee wellbeing. It can be difficult to know what your employees are feeling or how they are doing on any given day when they work remotely.
It’s also difficult for them to express their emotions to you. However, there are numerous programs you can implement, such as offering meditation classes to help your employees manage their stress when they are not on the job. Some companies even go as far as to offer employees opportunities to use a free Bitcoin app.
You should also create an environment where your employees feel comfortable opening up and sharing whatever is going on in their lives. This environment will allow you to understand them as people better and cater to their specific needs.
· Encourage open discussions by inquiring about how the person feels or needs assistance during work hours, lunch breaks, and other times.
· Hold one-on-one meetings once a month so that team members can speak with you privately.
· Create a system for people to leave anonymous messages via email, text message, or e-form. Inform them that these messages will only be shared with you and not anyone else.
A Company’s Culture Should Reflect Its Core Values
Before developing your overall mission statement, it is critical to establish clear guidelines for what your company believes in. Everyone should share these core values in the organization. You might want to include core values such as honesty, transparency, creativity, or something else that reflects the work you do.
Trust Each Other
People need to trust and rely on their coworkers, even if they work remotely. To foster this sense of trust and team spirit, you should: -Have regular meetings, either over the phone or in person.
· Encourage employees to send thank you cards or postcards for special occasions such as anniversaries.
· Hold contests in which people who contribute the most to your company win something fun, such as employee of the month.
· An environment in which people are free to be themselves and pursue their passions.
Make Use of the Right Tech Tools
Reliance on technology is an absolute must if your employees feel connected even when working remotely. There will never be a substitute for meeting in person, but various tools are available to help people stay connected through virtual interactions. For example:
· Google Docs keeps team members informed and allows them to comment/annotate on documents.
· Enterprise messaging apps like Slack enable teams to communicate more quickly.
· Skype allows for video conferencing.
· Tools such as GoToMeeting allow everyone to see each other’s screens from the comfort of their computer or phone.
Prioritize Good Communication
When it comes to communicating with clients, team members, and management, prioritizing communication means everyone should be on the same page. This is significant because it helps to establish expectations within the organization.
It is easy for different people to understand what they are supposed to do or how the company expects them to act when there is a lack of communication.
When someone fails to complete their assigned tasks or does something that another person finds offensive, these misunderstandings become apparent. Establishing clear communication protocols reduces the likelihood of this occurring. It is because everyone involved understands exactly how they should perform their specific roles.
Identify Employee Challenges
Identifying employee challenges entails asking your employees what they like and dislike about their jobs and how you can help improve their experience and performance. Knowing their challenges is critical because if you do not solicit feedback from your employees, you will inevitably be guessing at ways to make them happier or better able to meet expectations.
While guessing may work in some cases, there is always the risk that those guesses will fail—and may even make matters worse. Asking your employees for feedback leads to more successful outcomes. You are more likely to receive information in line with what they think and want.
This does not imply that you should abandon all your ideas and accept whatever feedback you receive. At the same time, it implies that you should not get surprised if someone rejects an idea or initiative that you thought was good. Fortunately, you will access this negative information by soliciting feedback before attempting something new.
Closing Remarks
The best way to create a corporate culture in a remote company is to prioritize good communication, identify employee challenges, and consider what makes your employees feel at home. If you can incorporate the above suggestions into your business plan, creating a cohesive company atmosphere will be much easier than it would otherwise be.