The Coronavirus pandemic made working from home the new normal throughout the business world. Surprisingly, many organizations maintained or even increased their productivity levels during these difficult times. In fact, remote working just might become a permanent part of the worldwide economy.
However, keeping a sense of camaraderie and company culture becomes more difficult with remote workers. Still, fostering a sense of community among your team remains as important as when everyone worked in one office. As such, here are a few tips for maintaining a strong organizational culture with a remote staff.
Replicate Your Office Culture for a Dispersed Workforce
If your company already boasts a great company culture, you need to replicate it for a remote staff. Try to follow the same principles as when everyone is in the office. Champion an open communication policy; celebrate your top performers’ achievements, and ultimately reward hard work..
In the end, a remote workforce doesn’t change what makes your company great. Maintaining that culture requires a different approach – one that relies on technology.
Ensure You Have the Technology to Manage Remote Workers
Successfully managing remote workers might require an investment in technology. This approach becomes a critical piece in keeping a strong company culture because of one word: communication. So ensure your company’s networking infrastructure and Cloud-based software services offer superior connectivity and performance.
Provide the right software to promote collaboration between dispersed teams. Slack or Microsoft Teams are just two examples. Leverage chatbots for an additional boost in productivity. Also, help your remote workers set up their home offices and offer advice on protecting their home networks from hackers. Remember, a home network is now an extension of your corporate network.
Communication Becomes Even More Critical When Working From Home
Traditionally, communication plays a key role in establishing (and maintaining) a robust company culture. When working remotely, hold regular company-wide meetings over a videoconference. Try to treat these conferences as if everyone is in the same room. Provide a virtual open floor for comments, suggestions, and insights.
The same concept applies to smaller team meetings. If following the Agile methodology, hold regular standups using videoconferencing software. Giving everyone the chance to offer their input keeps the entire team engaged and inspired. Ultimately, making this “new normal” the same as the “old normal” holds the key to maintaining your company culture.
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