As the 21st century has progressed, more and more companies have switched to working remotely. However, when working remotely, many companies have struggled to find a way to promote their company culture. In an office setting, companies can do everything from catered lunches to company Christmas parties to form bonds across a team.
However, when running a virtual team, it is more challenging for companies to promote their company culture. This has become more important as many companies have realized that having a strong company culture leads to increased profit. It also helps to attract more competitive talent and reduce employee turnover. With that in mind, here’s how a company can promote company culture within their virtual teams.
Use Virtual Tools
Company culture is not just about the great work that a company does. It’s about how employees interact with each other and with the company as a whole. A manager who is a taskmaster may get great results; but it won’t make people want to stick around. Instead, what managers should do is think outside the box and use virtual tools to try to create their own version of culture-building.
One great way to do this is through the use of off-topic Slack channels. Sharing memes, travel experiences, weekend plans and more can help humanize employees to one another, especially if they are not able to meet in person. You can also conduct polls and run Zoom events for employees to catch-up and unwind.
Focus on Relationships
More so than any one particular product or service offerings, a company with a solid company culture focuses on a series of relationships as the bedrock of its success. This is particularly important when onboarding new employees and making sure they seem welcome. While it may not be possible to introduce your new hire to everyone face-to-face, you can use an employee onboarding as an opportunity to foster and expand company culture. You can do this by setting aside a specific virtual meeting solely to introduce the new hire, and if they are replacing someone who is leaving for another organization, to say a fond farewell to the outgoing employee.
While video chatting cannot replace personal interaction, it does offer something unique. Because people who are calling in to video calls over Zoom and other such platforms are generally at home, it is a great opportunity for employees to show off their space to a virtual team. It also allows companies to set up online games and activities to make employees feel more connected with each other.
Promoting company culture within virtual teams is uniquely challenging, but also offers opportunities as well that do not exist when meeting in an office setting. It is up to CEOs and managers to take advantage of these opportunities and make employees feel engaged and hopeful about their future with the organization. After all, creating an inclusive and welcoming company culture only stands to make a company more profitable in the long run. It also helps increase employee loyalty, something that will be reflected in the environment of a company for years to come.
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