As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, businesses have proven their adaptability in the face of unprecedented turmoil. Thanks to digital communication and collaboration technologies, many teams have begun working remotely, maintaining regular productivity while also complying with stay-at-home guidelines.

Remote work offers a number of advantages, and ultimately makes it possible for businesses to remain efficient during quarantine. With that said, it’s not without its challenges. Specifically, many of FullHR’s clients have raised the question of culture. How can a business maintain a sense of core values and commitments when its team members are all working from separate locations?

Maintaining Culture in the Remote Work Era

We’re happy to offer a few recommendations for maintaining culture even in a mostly or completely virtual work setting.

1. Think about what culture is, but also what it’s not. Some team leaders still think of culture in terms of amenities and break room perks; for example, the ol’ ping-pong table around which employees congregate, or after-hours meet-ups at local bars. These things can all be nice, and they can also be effective ways to consolidate culture and boost morale. But in the quarantine era, they’re really not possible; thus, you’ll have to think twice and make sure your culture is based on something else.
2. Consider how you work. In a lot of ways, culture is all about how you work. How do you treat customers? How do you treat team members? What are the preferred standards of communication? What are the values and priorities you all agree upon? As you get accustomed to remote work, it wouldn’t hurt to relitigate these issues and ensure everyone is on the same page.
3. Provide the right tools. Culture isn’t all about technology, but for remote teams, technology is central for keeping culture alive. Be sure all team members are set up with the tools and platforms they need to communicate, such as Slack or Skype. And create new routines for injecting fun and conviviality into your communications; for example, you may not be able to share jokes around the water cooler, but maybe you can share funny memes or GIFs between team members.
4. Hang out. No, really: One of the best ways to foster a healthy culture is to encourage employees to hang out. We recommend approaching this from different angles; you might have a team trivia night over Zoom once a month; weekly “happy hour” gatherings over Google Hangouts; or even random pairings of “buddies” who connect over Skype.
5. Plan in-person meet-ups (as possible.) The coronavirus situation is still very fluid, and it’s impacting different areas in different ways. However, if you’re somewhere you feel safe inviting employees to an outdoor event, such as a day hike or a picnic (with proper social distancing), consider doing it. Just make it very clear that it’s totally okay if some employees don’t feel as comfortable attending; these events shouldn’t be mandatory.
6. Celebrate your wins. These days, the whole world seems topsy-turvy, and you may have employees who are feeling anxious or demoralized. That makes it all the more important to take your victories where you can get them. Be intentional in celebrating achievements among your team members; encourage your employees with the reminder that they’re still accomplishing things, still making a difference, still doing their jobs, even in difficult circumstances.

These are some basic practices we’d offer to teams looking to bolster culture during this season of working remotely. With any questions about this or other HR issues, reach out to us directly. Contact FullHR at your next opportunity.