You may be wondering why it’s so important to build a culture in a virtual workplace, or how you can improve one you already have. Well, the truth is that culture is everything. It’s what makes an organization different from its competitors and gives employees pride in their work. When you have strong company values and people who believe those values are important, they will be more motivated to do their best work every day.
Creating a connection stitches people together so that employees feel like they are not just working for a company, but rather part of something larger. You see, culture is the cornerstone of any organization. It’s what unites people and helps them work together towards a shared goal. When it’s strong and positive, it can drive people to do amazing things.
Below are some points to consider if you are looking to build your own virtual workplace culture. We even have some of the things we have done to spark some inspiration!
Opportunities to Connect
While virtual work environments can be challenging, there are a number of opportunities to connect. One of the most important is chat rooms. Chat rooms are an excellent way to build relationships with your coworkers and get to know them better. However, they should not be the only way you connect with your team members or peers. You should also consider using other methods such as huddles and Fikas (see below).
Chat rooms are an easy-to-use tool that allows employees from all over the world to talk in real time about projects they’re working on together or just engage in casual conversations about their day-to-day lives outside of work. It’s also a great way to highlight wins and offer encouragement.
Bring on the Right People
It’s important to hire people who are excited about the company and its culture. The best way to do this is by being selective in your hiring process. You want to make sure that you’re bringing on people who will fit into your organization, especially a virtual one.
As a leader, you play an important role in maintaining your company’s culture by making sure that new hires align with what you believe in as an organization. It’s also important that you keep the right people and learn from those who may take a different journey.
Set Expectations Early and Check-in
As a virtual team, setting clear expectations and regularly checking in on progress are essential for success. Without regular communication, it’s easy for misunderstandings to arise, and for team members to feel disconnected from each other and the company’s goals. You want to make sure that everyone is on the same page, and you can’t do that if you’re not communicating.
You want to be able to clearly communicate the company’s values and mission so that everyone can understand how their part plays into this bigger picture. Also, make sure to set expectations and revisit them from time to time. The start of a new project and debriefing when it is wrapped up is a great way to make sure expectations are clear and achievable.
Checking in frequently and asking for feedback from your team also allows for adjustments to be made so that people stay engaged. Having a virtual work environment means that these expectations and check-ins may happen more frequently and time may need to be set aside to do so.
Leadership
Leadership is an important part of any culture, but it’s especially important in a virtual workplace. You need to be able to lead by example and empower your employees so that they can succeed.
Leading by example means doing what you ask of others, even if it’s not easy or fun for you. If someone asks for feedback on their work, give them honest feedback–even if it’s constructive. If someone asks for help with something, help them out as much as possible without getting distracted from your own tasks (or delegate). This will show other employees that their ideas matter and that leaders care about their success too!
The Accountix Way
As an employee of a fully virtual company, here is a peak into the world of Accountix and its approach to culture-building:
- Having regular meetings with employees
- Monday All-Hands meeting to chat about the weekend in breakout rooms and updates and “shout outs” in the main room
- daily morning huddles to go over to-do’s and ask project-specific questions
- One-on-one check in’s from time to time with management. This is not just about work but a pulse check on how people are truly doing outside work.
- Creating an environment and opportunities where people feel comfortable sharing ideas, concerns, and suggestions for improvement
- Leaning on an established system to run your business (our’s is EOS Traction) allows you to simply adopt a proven process and not create a new wheel. With EOS, the L10 meeting provides a safe space to encourage dialogue and accountability. This meeting format allows team members to address issues, create to-do lists, follow up on items, and take ownership of matters. Issues/ideas that go beyond the involvement of a team meeting are bubbled up until they are solved at the proper level; this allows Leadership to have a pulse on issues that may be too big to solve at lower levels.
- Interested in learning more about how to adopt EOS? Schedule a meeting with us!
- Chat rooms, Fika’s, and retreats
- My favorite chats are: “Kudos and Wins” and “Chatter and Fun”
- Fika’s are one-on-one, quick 15-minute chats with randomly assigned teammates to talk about anything but work.
- Company retreats are virtually held quarterly for a half day (our team loves the UberEats gift cards to get a lunch of their choice on us!)
- We bring the whole team together IN PERSON for an annual retreat once a year. This is always a huge hit with the team and further connects us all. We do some business, but more importantly, we have fun by hanging out, chatting, walking, eating, and drinking together for a couple of days.
- Growth mindset
- Team-mates are encouraged to speak up about what can help the team grow (people, roles, services, etc.). “How can we improve?” and “What have we learned?” are two questions that we all take ownership of, regardless of the level or years at Accountix.
- Team-mates are encouraged to speak up about what can help the team grow (people, roles, services, etc.). “How can we improve?” and “What have we learned?” are two questions that we all take ownership of, regardless of the level or years at Accountix.
- Leadership involvement
- As an employee, nothing can be more frustrating than when a leader says one thing and does another. Leadership is engaged in all aspects: chats, meetings, accountability, and more. The ego is checked at the door and while they focus on the big picture, they are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and take part in day-to-day activities at any level. Leadership is fully committed to a virtual culture and they invest in ways to keep us connected and engaged, even if it’s remote.
In the end, a virtual workplace is not one size fits all. It requires a keen understanding of your team and the type of work you all do to make the company successful. When you have the right people with the right expectations and a lot of communication, then you can create a strong culture in the virtual world.
Accountix works hard to maintain a company culture by connecting and supporting us all, even though we are fully remote. I appreciate the effort that they consistently put forth for everyone to succeed.