5 Ways to Build a Strong Company Culture Across Remote Teams

A strong company culture is a valuable asset for any firm, yet remote working presents a unique set of challenges when it comes to building and sustaining the shared goals, values, and character that defines an organization. This article outlines five tips for building a positive company culture across your remote teams.

1. Invest

Software is essential for remote work. Communication, community and collaboration are the building blocks of a positive company culture, and without the right tools to support them, your employees could become disconnected. This is where project management platforms, collaborative software and video calling come in.

Of course, having the right software only provides you with the foundations. Once you’ve invested and shown that you believe in your remote teams, there’s still the tricky task of getting everyone else to buy into your vision and commit to upholding it – the remaining four tips should help with this.

2. Set communal goals

To create a culture of hard work and ambition, you should set clear goals and reward those who achieve them. Every member of your organisation needs to be target-oriented, hitting their own goals as well as encouraging those in their team and the business as a whole. Shared objectives and KPIs encourage collaboration and create cohesion in remote workforces.

If communal goal-setting is woven into the way you do things as a business, you’ll ensure that everyone shares the same positive mindset and motivations. The tools you’ve already invested in will help to make this happen, facilitating cooperation across remote teams and enabling you to set targets that are visible to everyone.

3. Socialize

Remote working can be a lonely business. Regular face-to-face interaction with colleagues plays an important role in terms of improving morale and employee wellbeing, so it can be helpful if the business sets up virtual social events. This could just be a lunchtime quiz via video call or even a game that takes place after work.

These sessions present a great opportunity to position the firm as a fun and friendly place to work. Building a strong company culture is not just about conveying the right image to the general public, but also to your own employees; remember that one of the key benefits of a positive work culture is increased employee retention.

4. Communicate

Communication between individuals at every level of a business is imperative for effective remote working. The company’s vision, ideals and goals should be clearly articulated by top-level staff through documentation that’s made available to everyone. Video calls also provide a means for directors to communicate directly with all employees.

Equally, managers should encourage employees to communicate with each other through regular video chats, which could take the form of team huddles each morning. These will ensure that the whole team feels involved and that the company’s mood is positive, whilst also preventing any miscommunication that could occur over the phone or by email.

5. Listen

It’s impossible to build a strong company culture across remote teams without understanding what each team requires in terms of management. Some employees may benefit from extra contact with their line managers when working from home, whereas others may prefer to work independently most of the time.

The only way to learn about the needs of each team is to listen to feedback. Encourage line managers to ask their teams if they think that the current approach is working – they may find that some employees need more encouragement or a more thorough explanation of tasks. Listening and responding will help to shape a culture that works for everyone.