Having a great organizational culture is like being on a legendary sports team. Culture helps keep the team in sync and a great team is the one where each member can play to their strengths. A lot of people believe that to maintain a productive work culture, there has to be a regular cadence of face-time. But in reality, this is not necessarily the case. The adoption of work-from-home practices is increasing year on year and has reached a fever pitch at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. This accelerated pace of change in the operational landscape has made it all the more important for your organization to adopt an appropriate remote working culture to ensure the productivity, stability, and professional growth of your employees. If you are in a company that is considering adopting a remote working culture, here are some useful points to keep in mind.
Ensure that Everybody Feels Valued
This is a tricky one since you need to consider the various little nuances different team members bring to the table. If you are thinking of hiring a new team altogether, think of the bigger picture. Since you are considering or are into remote working, think of the various ways you can make the best out of the situation as you can virtually include people from any part of the globe in your hiring pool. When you are in the onboarding process, think of the various diverse individuals and points of view you will be bringing into the organization; how can they contribute to the vision you have. The work culture formation starts from the first hire because each member of the team is a defining point in building the culture you want. Once onboard, make sure that everyone feels valued and promote a sense of togetherness.
Understand the Value of Remote Working
Remote working has been proven to have valuable effects on employee wellbeing and productivity by various studies, i.e., if done right. An article in Harvard Business Review based on an experiment in a Chinese call center showed that work-from-home employees were much more productive, happier, and less likely to quit than the ones who stayed. In the experiment, the employees were given a chance to work from home for 9 months. Half of the employees chose to work from home and the other half continued to work from the office as a control group. Another article by Global Workplace Analytics listed the key benefits of remote working as below:
- Improves employee satisfaction
- Reduces unscheduled absences
- Increases productivity
- Saves employers money
- Cuts down on wasted meetings
- Increases collaboration
- Expands the talent pool
Find Unique Ways to Appreciate Achievements
It is not an easy task to manage their day-to-day work, managing projects while balancing your personal life and household chores while working from home. It is important to find unique ways to appreciate your team’s professional achievements, no matter how big or small. It can be even something as simple as congratulating them on WhatsApp Group chat but do it publicly. It helps them feel valued and included by the team.
