7 Ways To Build A Robust Remote Culture

Halfway through 2022, remote work is no longer the new kid on the block—it’s settled in and is fast becoming a popular way of work among employees everywhere. To take it a step further, a recent ADP survey of almost 33,000 people in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia found that two-thirds of workers would sooner quit their jobs than return to the office full-time.

For all its perks, remote work has its fair share of challenges, the most important of which is work culture. It turns out that when it comes to building a robust culture with a remote tech team, the challenge isn’t necessarily what to do, but how to do it.

A thriving culture is characterized by shared goals and values, respect, teamwork, knowledge sharing, and accountability, which remains the same; tech leaders just need to do things differently to build and foster those elements.

In this article, let’s find out and appreciate what goes into creating a good work culture for distributed teams, where the force is remote, on-ground, and/or hybrid.

How To Build A Strong Culture With A Remote Tech Team?

Remote Onboarding

It is crucial to design a remote-first hiring and onboarding experience that makes recruiting seamless as well as ensures the new hires feel like they belong.

Onboard in small batches. This is a great way to reduce redundancies during onboarding, and it also creates a sense of community among new hires.

Have a virtual onboarding buddy take charge of each new hire and show them the ropes in the beginning. They can create a plan and set up 1:1s with the team leads and 15-minute catchups with individual teams, which significantly reduces new hires’ stress and anxiety.

Provide all your new remote workers the necessary devices such as laptops, a few days ahead of joining so they can get started right away.

Transparent And Clear Remote Work Policies

Transparency and trust are essential to an engaged workforce. Ensure no one is kept out of the loop and information is shared efficiently across all distributed teams. Also, aim to be transparent about your company’s remote work policies—are employees expected to be online a certain number of hours each day? Or do they need to come into the office some days of the week? Include those specific expectations in your policy so each employee is aware of their responsibilities.

The ultimate goal is to create a culture where employees are aligned with the company’s mission and that is only possible through open communication.

Regular Communication

With your teams working from different locations, managers need to put in extra effort to make themselves available and keep in touch. Set regular team meetings or bi-weekly calls for OKR discussions, 1:1s, and department meetings, as well as quarterly company all-hands. Check-in on your employees and make it a point to ask questions like, ‘How can I help you be more productive,’ ‘How are you coping with working remotely,’ or ‘I’m always available if you need to talk’.

There are times when a Zoom call isn’t necessary. Make use of email, SMS, and chat apps that don’t need an immediate response but still work towards getting the job done. Bonus? Your team wouldn’t fall prey to ‘Zoom fatigue.’

Promote Work-life Balance And Flexibility

The 9-to-5 workday model had been waning even pre-pandemic, but in a world of remote work and pandemic stress, it’s only logical that employees are given the flexibility to choose their schedule—and be at their productive best.

Promoting work-life balance begins at the top. Trust your employees to figure out how to get things done without being asked to sit in front of their systems for a set number of hours. Also, establish meeting-free days to improve the well-being of your employees. Encourage them to take time off and use their vacation days—it would do wonders for their mental health.

A Multichannel Approach To Engagement

The benefit of remote work is the opportunity to work across channels. Get creative in keeping your remote employees motivated and engaged.

Conduct interactive team bonding activities that let employees get to know each other in an informal atmosphere. Play fun games like Trivia Nights, organize Pet Show and Tell sessions, or even virtual Happy Hours.

Schedule some face time and plan off-sites with your team. You can get to know each other and work collaboratively, leading to better relationships and productivity.

Engagement doesn’t have to be restricted to non-work-related meetups. Ensure you make simple gestures like saying thank you, implementing an employee of the month program, giving a compliment on a job well done, and holding virtual awards either quarterly or annually.

These connective threads have a massive impact on employee engagement while fostering a positive work culture.

Invest In Your Employees

Continuous learning fosters better employee engagement and retention. A recent study showed that 42% of millennials are likely to leave a company if they do not have enough learning opportunities. Upskilling options like skill assessments and hackathons foster connection among your remote employees by encouraging everyone to take part.

Provide upskilling programs for your teams where they can create tailored, self-guided learning pathways to assess their skills. Benchmark your tech team’s performance and track their growth.

Internal virtual hackathons are another great way to get your employees together, upskill as a team, and make learning fun. It also increases collaboration and might even lead to groundbreaking ideas!

Regular Feedback Sessions

A great way to maintain a strong company culture is to ensure your employees feel they are being heard—something easily overlooked in remote workplaces. Consistently hold feedback sessions and ask your remote workers to tell you what worked and what didn’t. Make adjustments accordingly.

Provide an open, safe place to share wins and struggles as a team. Your culture will become richer when people feel like their voices matter.

The Value Of Tech Work Culture

Good work culture leads to higher productivity and job satisfaction levels. Your employees are more engaged and easier to retain. Company culture also plays a huge role in creating an environment that people want to work in. 83% of employees say that culture is a top factor when choosing where to work.

In remote tech teams, there’s no office vibe, watercooler conversations, or Spotify playlists that decide the culture. Instead, culture is what you do as a leadership team to make your employees feel seen as discussed in this article. It starts by being intentional about fostering a remote-first culture.

Author Bio

Blogger-in-Chief at HackerEarth, Ruehie writes about the challenges of tech recruiting, and the ways in which companies can improve their hiring by focusing on skills, and weeding out biases. She also doles out gyaan on writing, books, and her love for baking on her personal Twitter.