Company culture is essential to any business and can impact the organization's success. It influences how the team members behave and can be found in the day-to-day interactions of the team members. Healthy team culture is required to turn colleagues into teammates.
Having remote teams increases productivity and happiness and has been shown to lower stress and turnover in the workforce. However, it can be challenging to create a team culture when the company employees do not share a physical office.
Here are a few tips on how to successfully create company culture within remote teams:
Streamline Communication with Your Team
Communication is the backbone of any remote team as it provides the means for interaction and collaboration. Open and transparent communication will ensure none of the remote workers feel isolated. Identifying the company's core values and ensuring the team is familiarized with them is crucial.
Whereas some challenges may seem minor for in-office teams, the challenges tend to have a massive impact on open and transparent communication for remote teams. Quick communication fixes may also not be available for remote teams as they often rely on dedicated communication channels.
It is crucial to integrate team meetings into the company's schedule. They provide an excellent opportunity to keep everyone on the same page. It is best to keep the meetings scheduled in advance. Keep the meetings honest and comprehensive. Using a combination of tools to enhance and streamline communication is best.
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Training
Online training for remote employees is a great way to create a company culture. It can help bridge the physical distance and should not be overlooked by employers. It is crucial to take your time to analyze your company's culture to keep the training effective and engaging. Keeping the training as engaging as possible is more likely to be successful as the employees will be more motivated to learn.
Companies must ensure new team members are deliberately exposed to the values that form the core basis of their culture. Emphasize the company's mission in the training material provided for the new team members. Videos can also be highly effective training and provide a great future reference source.
The main aim of the training is to make the new team members feel part of a team. Increasing the opportunities for remote collaboration among the team members is essential. It can also be helpful to create problem-solving scenarios that will provide practice for your team.
Utilize Tools
Tools can be highly effective in breaking physical distance and preventing the isolation of remote workers. Communication can be made easier and faster. It is best to evaluate features and estimate the returns on investment when choosing the right tools. You can begin the evaluation by assessing your remote work culture to find the tools suited for your needs.
The right tools will make building the company culture with remote teams easier. You can set up a virtual office that will allow the team member to have work discussions and friendly chats. You can create collaborative spaces for your employees and facilitate casual recognition that builds rapport among the team members.
You can review, adjust and approve timesheets in real-time using the Buddy Punch time clock. You can also use communication channels to share information about work and share emojis and gifs.
Prioritize In-Person Meetups Too
It is crucial to prioritize in-person meetups in addition to virtual meetings. It is also best to meet all the new team members. It creates rapport with the team members and can be used to set the tone for future relations. It also shows your accessibility in case they need to communicate with you in the future.
It can be challenging to build a great company culture. It will take time and effort to continuously improve and build a strong positive culture within your remote teams. It can be helpful to carry out surveys within your team to evaluate your progress and the areas that need improving.