When everyone is together in the office, leaders can drive culture from the top down in practical ways—everything from management methods to communication style to personal attire. But in a hybrid or remote work environment, the natural interpersonal interactions and non-verbal cues that are often relied upon for creating a company culture are abbreviated.
Teams often come together only via technology, and they may miss the natural, casual interactions that take place in an office environment. Some dispersed teams may never meet in person, keeping team members from enjoying the informal interactions that help a culture develop.
Here are six tips to help you develop and nurture your company culture in a hybrid world.
1. Allow for the personal
Now more than ever, team members will have a persistent influence of personal factors in their work lives as the lines between work, home, community, and family blur. Acknowledge the different aspects of their lives. The overlap between work and home is unavoidable in a hybrid model, and “water cooler” conversations will now occur in online meetings. While it may be acceptable to rein in conversation when it’s preventing work from getting done, to avoid it altogether is to ignore reality completely. Acknowledge that the exchanges that used to take place in breakrooms, hallways, and elevators will now take place in video conferences and via instant message.
2. Build Community
Encourage team members to build a community outside of meetings and work obligations. Use collaboration tools to allow teams to explore common interests. Your team might discover a large group of knitting devotees who like to compare notes on projects. Fitness buffs might enjoy participating in mile challenges, or all of the fans of The Office might want to host watch parties after hours. Whatever the subgroup, allow these communities to pop up via work collaboration tools and give people connections that go beyond a virtual happy hour.
3. Set The Standard
If you want employees to know that they can take time off, be sure to take it yourself. Suppose you want employees to have the flexibility to go to school events, talk about attending school events with your children. Likewise, if you want to maintain some level of formality in video meetings, demonstrate that formality by using a corporate virtual background or wearing business attire. People will see the standards and rise to meet them. And if you genuinely have an expectation that people don’t seem to be rising to, then be explicit - share your expectation, provide the “whys” behind it, and then reinforce it.
4. Connect Your Leadership to the corporate values and vision
If the company says it values honesty but behaves dishonestly, employees will see that the values and culture don’t align. But if the company values open communication and leaders regularly invite teams to communicate openly, employees will see alignment, and open communication will become part of the culture. The behavior you model as a leader is critical in reinforcing the values and vision for your organization - organizational culture tends to be the shadow of its leaders.
5. Communicate Clearly and Consistently
Whether your company is a startup or has a long and storied past, it’s important to keep telling company stories. Share the history, goals, and vision of the company whenever possible. Tie the history to current initiatives and goals. Talk about outstanding employees of the past and present, and recognize them for their roles and achievements.
6. Practice Transparency
When teams are dispersed across geographies, it can be challenging for leaders to remain transparent and open. Reach out to individual team members often to check-in and get feedback. As much as possible, pass down communications from superiors to your team. Communicate your availability frequently, and make yourself available via instant message, phone, and collaboration apps.
Hybrid and remote working are still relatively new developments in the broader culture. Many leaders and employees are still trying to figure out how to transfer in-person interactions to an online world. However, it’s still possible for teams and companies to develop a healthy, cohesive culture. With a bit of focus and a willingness to make adjustments as necessary, remote and hybrid team leaders can cultivate an environment poised for both personal and business success.