Be the enabler: 5 key practices for an effective remote culture
In a cross-industry survey by Harvard Business Review, 61% of managers quoted “misfit company culture” as one of the top reasons behind remote workers quitting their jobs.
(Source: Harvard Business Review)
Culture has become the barometer of how well employees adhere to an organization. We’re talking employee engagement, retention, and performance. This reality isn’t going unnoticed by the leaders.
70% of business leaders say that culture is as important a component as strategy and operations.
67% of employers credit the maximum share of their employee retention to “good culture”.
Employees, having found positive culture, are 3.8x more likely to be engaged even in flexible models.
(Source: Quantum Workplace)
It takes intentionality: The pearls of wisdom about to be laid out are universal, human concepts that you already know — however, it’s just a matter of adapting them to the way you work remotely.
Reinforce a sustainable remote culture: 5 practices to adapt now.
1. Clear expectations. Minus ambiguity.
Opening up constant dialogue around goals and deadlines helps you stay on the same page. Try to standardize the deadlines for all parties involved, sometimes, it may require a hard start and stop time. The road to respectable boundaries goes from here.
Opening up constant dialogue around goals and deadlines helps you stay on the same page. Try to standardize the deadlines for all parties involved, sometimes, it may require a hard start and stop time. The road to respectable boundaries goes from here.
2. Everyone needs reliable tech.
Imagine a workday full of lags, an inability to download files, and regularly receiving meeting invites for a different time zone. It shows one has failed to address the basics. Invest in reliable technology and tools to make collaboration possible and processes uniform.
Imagine a workday full of lags, an inability to download files, and regularly receiving meeting invites for a different time zone. It shows one has failed to address the basics. Invest in reliable technology and tools to make collaboration possible and processes uniform.
3. Faces, whenever wherever.
In a remote setup, half of the human interaction goes nonverbal. Ensure your intent is not getting lost in texts and emails. Utilise video conferencing. Here’s an example for you: Our team has a mandatory video-on call every Tuesday. This isn’t unusual in itself — seeing the faces of one another gives us a seamless opportunity to share things beyond work.
In a remote setup, half of the human interaction goes nonverbal. Ensure your intent is not getting lost in texts and emails. Utilise video conferencing. Here’s an example for you: Our team has a mandatory video-on call every Tuesday. This isn’t unusual in itself — seeing the faces of one another gives us a seamless opportunity to share things beyond work.
4. Encourage documentation.
It translates to “track everything” — however, there’s more to it. A healthy remote work culture can’t rely on constantly monitoring your team. Enable workflow automation. Primarily, it allows you to ensure a seamless workflow wherein your employees can show a quantitative value for the hours they’ve spent working. Cherries for both, we’d say.
It translates to “track everything” — however, there’s more to it. A healthy remote work culture can’t rely on constantly monitoring your team. Enable workflow automation. Primarily, it allows you to ensure a seamless workflow wherein your employees can show a quantitative value for the hours they’ve spent working. Cherries for both, we’d say.
5. On days, just talk.
If contact isn’t open, honest, and available, you’re probably in a space where you’re organising meetings only with a rigid agenda. Allow a few meetings to flow freely. Send out invites with no preset discussion point. Arrange one-on-one. Conversations have never hurt.
If contact isn’t open, honest, and available, you’re probably in a space where you’re organising meetings only with a rigid agenda. Allow a few meetings to flow freely. Send out invites with no preset discussion point. Arrange one-on-one. Conversations have never hurt.
Why culture and feeling of inclusion matter more than ever
Experts believe that valuing culture creates a sustainable environment to work in — with an aligned team, measurable KPIs, better products, and increased profitability. It allows us to recognise, respect, and value differences. Soft skills such as empathy, openness, and listening can make your company’s remote culture resurface. Wait till you see the impact on daily goals and employee retention.
With this thought, send out a casual non-agenda meeting invite to your remote workers sometime this week.
