Working remotely has become increasingly popular in recent years, and there are plenty of reasons for that. As we discussed in our webinar about salaries and benefits (link in Swedish), many employees see the opportunity to work remotely as a pure hygiene factor.
Working remotely offers flexibility and independence that can be difficult to find in a traditional office environment.
But it can also be difficult to maintain a strong company culture when working remotely.
Here are some tips for developing a positive company culture when working remotely:
1. Communicate often and openly
When working remotely, it can be easy to feel disconnected from one’s team. To counter this, it’s important to make sure to communicate often and openly with team members. This can be done through regular team meetings, chat, or video calls.
2. Set clear expectations and guidelines
When working remotely, it can be easy to blur the lines between work and personal time. To prevent this, clear expectations and guidelines should be set for when team members should be available and responsive. This helps ensure everyone is on the same page and the team can work effectively.
3. Encourage social interaction
Just because you’re working remotely doesn’t mean you can’t have fun together. Encourage social interaction between team members by meeting up occasionally, ideally in person. Have one day a week when everyone is in the office, arrange fun after-work events or other gatherings. This helps create a sense of relatedness and leads to increased employee engagement.
4. Work with trust and personal responsibility
When working remotely, it can be easy to feel like you’re working in a bubble. To prevent this, work with trust and personal responsibility between team members. This means giving team members responsibility to do their jobs and trusting that they will deliver results. It also means holding team members accountable for their work and ensuring they meet expectations.
5. Show appreciation
See your employees and show appreciation for your team members’ work and engagement. This can be done verbally or in writing, but seeing and praising your employees often has a big positive impact on employee engagement.
In summary, developing a good company culture when working remotely requires effort and engagement. By communicating openly, creating clear expectations, encouraging social interaction, working with trust and personal responsibility, and showing appreciation, you can create a positive and productive remote work environment.
