It’s no secret, the landscape in which we work has changed dramatically over the last year. Office away days, big team meetings, and early evening work drinks on a Friday feel like a distant memory. Whilst remote working is certainly no new thing, the past 12 months has pushed it firmly into the forefront and virtual company culture is fast becoming part of the new jargon (alongside ‘quarantini’, ‘workcation’, and ‘virtual happy hour’!).
In times of crisis, people find comfort in the familiar, and whilst home is a familiar place, it’s not always the first choice when it comes to our everyday working environment. For many, the transition from stepping into an office, with a bustling vibe and face-to-face connections, to sitting at the kitchen table or creating a home office in the spare room, has been a tricky one, to say the least.
Chances are, your company culture is one of the very reasons your employees took a job with you in the first place. Did you know that, according to a Glassdoor survey, 56% of employees find a good workplace culture to be more important than salary. So, with more people working remotely than ever before, it’s time to ensure that your company culture finds its new status quo. It’s something that you’ll want to put some careful consideration into, not only when hiring new recruits but also from a current employee perspective.
Top tips for creating a virtual company culture that works
Communication is crucial
Improved communication is crucial and transparency is key. With so many of your team now working remotely, you can’t communicate enough. Think regular newsletters, weekly online meetings, and ensuring you’re still celebrating staff and showing that attitude for gratitude – it’s even more important than ever now you’re not all together in person.
Virtual watercooler moments
It’s time to accept that your company culture is going to look and feel different which is why it’s key to look at ways you can bring that culture direct to the homes and desks of your employees’ and make them feel united? Whilst the office ‘watercooler’ moments might seem a little dated these days, there is even more room for creativity when it comes to virtual get-togethers and making sure you inject some fun into your work culture. From after-hour online socials, wellness activities at lunchtime to team online cooking classes, wine tasting, and even virtual book clubs, there’s something new and fun for everyone to get involved in – and less excuse not to join in!
Get onboard
Is everyone onboard? Look at how your employees are set up and make sure that you’ve spent time not only putting company culture at the forefront but that they all have everything they need. Onboarding new hires is essential, and research by the Aberdeen Group shows that structured onboarding accelerates employee productivity (65%), increases retention (50%), and better connects new hires with their teams (49%). Consider bringing everyone in your organisation back to basics and reuniting them through a ‘remote onboarding’ process? Consider a work from home kit, complete with mugs, desk tidies, hoodies, and other useful and fun items that can help to create some company culture at their home office desk.
Adapt and thrive
Sit with your HR team or senior team members and create a structure for how you’d like your virtual company culture to feel. How things feel right now is of paramount importance. Be willing to adapt and ask your staff for feedback – how would they like things to work? What would they like more or less of? Put it back in their hands – after all, they’re the ones creating and curating the culture.
Fancy bringing some of your company culture direct to your employees home office space? Contact us today to find out more about our SwagPacks.
