With many employees working remotely, having a strong company culture is more important than ever.

This will be the first time that most people will have worked remotely for an extended period of time, with even greater challenges for those tasked with managing and leading these distributed teams.

So how do we maintain a strong company culture across this virtual divide?

CULTURE VS MORALE

Many “work from home” initiatives focus on improving morale, like hosting a virtual games night or a guided meditation via Zoom.

But culture and morale are not the same thing. And initiatives such as these aren’t for everyone.

If these activities are not already part of your company culture, then it may seem jarring to your employees to suddenly start playing board games and taking quizzes, worsening the work-from-home experience for everyone.

WHAT IS COMPANY CULTURE?

So what do we mean when we talk about “company culture”?

In a nutshell, your company culture is best described as the things you do and repeat on a regular basis.

Do you host a morning “all hands” meeting with your staff?

Then you should continue this practice using video conferencing software like Zoom.

Do your teams utilise task boards on the office walls?

Then you should continue this practice using a project management app like Trello.

Does your company host regular social get-togethers for your employees?

Great! Then continue this practice by hosting virtual social events or informal video meetings around non-work-related subjects – like a book club.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Your company culture should be unique to your own organisation – otherwise it’s not a very strong culture.

This means that only you and your team will know how best to maintain that culture through this difficult period.

Ask yourself, what are the things that define us as a company? And are those things being undermined by having teams work remotely?

Once you have identified the unique challenges facing your company, then you can begin to put practices in place to address this.

If, however, you are unsure about this, then now is the time to document what makes up your company culture and then share it with your employees.

Clearly defining your company culture and sharing it with everyone in the organisation will promote transparency and create an environment of trust where both employees and management feel comfortable and confident moving forward.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While the lockdown is undoubtedly one of the most challenging periods many of us will ever face in our professional careers, there is still an opportunity for us all to make something positive from this experience.

If you can maintain your company culture while managing a remote team, then you will come out the other side a stronger and more tight-knit organisation.

For those still wondering about what their company culture really means, let now be the time when you carve out that identity and set the stage for future growth post-lockdown.

To speak with a specialist consultant, contact Armont Recruitment on +353 1 556 3399 or hello@armont.ie