Changing Dynamics: How to Ensure Your Culture Thrives in a Remote World

A meaningful and inclusive company culture doesn’t just live within a physical space. If we know anything for sure about the future of work, it won’t always happen in an office. Employers and workers agree that remote work will continue and become much more than a perk but a necessity to attract and retain talent. In embracing remote work, organizations also have to be open to retooling and strengthening their culture.

The work landscape is more complex than ever for HR leaders and managers. We have many objectives to sustain company growth and support employees in all areas of their lives.

The pandemic has been a game-changer for HR since much of the fallout relates to people, and that’s our wheelhouse. We now need to be more creative and strategic in how we operate in many areas — the candidate experience, employee engagement and retention, communication, and more. When you add the virtual element, all these programs and processes have to adjust.

In HR, we also have a unique perspective to see behavioral patterns and the inter-working of positive and negative impacts of those on the business. HR’s value is serving as a partner in identifying and creating awareness to effect systemic change. The key tenets to that are consistent communication, programmatic culture connections and exemplifying values in any activity.

As an HR leader, my team and I experienced the same challenges and opportunities as you did. While we were always proud of our culture and how it helped our staff grow and thrive, no one expected the significant changes the pandemic brought. I’m glad to share lessons learned and strategies to reimagine your culture to align with modern times.

Consistent communication at all levels is a must

HR leaders are often the voice that employees hear on a variety of topics. While our voices matter and should drive engagement and understanding, we also need to encourage managers to rethink communicating. They can’t keep managing in the same way as when everyone was in one building. The connection has to evolve. According to a survey, 51% of workers felt less connected to company culture while working remotely.

The respondents noted they missed interacting and collaborating with colleagues. While these activities are easier to experience in person, they are possible in remote settings too. Employee isolation is a byproduct of the pandemic. When people were in offices, those daily check-ins and interactions were easy and natural. Now, you must actually plan them.

HR leaders can show by example that frequent and consistent communication is the framework for remote connection, but that is not enough. Managers and employees should be taught what it takes to create connection with frequent reinforcement through town halls sessions and informal chec- ins. Offer them these strategies around communication:

• Advise them to create short- and mid-term goals with employees, which gives them direction and feedback.
• Schedule weekly or biweekly check-ins with direct reports to discuss their work and feelings in a safe space.
• Encourage them to ask employees what they need to succeed and what obstacles they face in a virtual environment. Not everyone loves the idea of remote work. Just because people don’t have a commute doesn’t mean they are thriving. These check-ins will help them keep the pulse.

At the company level, HR leaders can work with others to keep communication flowing. We host lots of events that, while virtual in nature, are engaging. We have All Hands Meetings, Happy Hour Meetups, and cross-department get-togethers.

We also have other special programs that provide those informal connections for all employees, such as mentor sessions, the Meet the CEO program, and global leadership forums. Communication is also ongoing and always accessible through our intranet and via chat groups.

Creating programmatic culture connections

We created a “Culture Club” at Intermedia. It’s multifaceted, serving internal employee and external communities, philanthropic initiatives, wellness, and more. Having such a program is imperative to a remote workplace culture. With each part of the “club,” we’re offering touchpoints and engagement across many areas.

Another program we have that speaks to our culture is the Women of Intermedia forum. Internal and external speakers share stories of their journey, imparting lessons learned. It’s part professional development and part wellness, and it’s been very successful.

We also created a Diversity Town Hall forum that invites employees to share experiences about how they overcame barriers and how that impacted their career and life. They often leave audiences with ideas on how to work together better by being empathetic and supportive. In these examples, you can see the commitment to culture and ensuring it spills out from the screen into the person’s environment wherever they are. People are excited about these programs, and that’s the best kind of connection you can get.

Exemplifying values builds strong culture

Values should be more than something on your website or your office wall. They are words until they become actions. That’s even more important now. HR leaders should champion ways to exemplify these through big and small gestures.

It requires balancing the intrinsic and extrinsic values for employees. That starts with understanding what motivates them, and that’s different for everyone. Managers need to tune into this and show care for an employee’s well-being beyond their work contribution. They can find this through those check-ins. You can even guide them here by introducing questions or offering resources.

The CEO and other leaders must do the same. They have the loudest voices in the room, and everyone is paying attention to them if they live the values. They should be reinforcing them, and this is another area where HR leaders can coach and support. One way to do this is by providing executive teams data on employee sentiment, engagement, and satisfaction. Offering context and analysis of this is also critical. The impact of data points will be either positive or negative, and you can help connect the dots on this.

From this, you can work with leadership to devise a plan to reinforce these with communication, celebrations, and programs. Then you have to keep listening and collecting data and adjust to the pulse of your staff.

The modern HR leader drives connections even in a virtual workplace

While your job may look quite different than it did a few years ago, the desire to nurture and develop employees remains. The way you do it just has to evolve. By focusing on consistent communication, programs that serve all, and demonstrating values, you can drive a connected culture no matter where your employees are.