Growing Culture in a Remote Environment

This article was written in July 2020 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last September I started a new job and joined the millions of workers across the world who work remotely. The company I joined was in another state, and as my wife and I had commitments and a community that we didn't want to leave, I pushed for a remote position during my interviews. Remote work was the future and it didn't seem like a big ask (and apparently it wasn't because I got the job). 

Although the company had embraced remote work as a strategy to access more talent, they still had questions about how I’d approach working remotely. I was asked in my interview what I might struggle with as a remote employee. My response wasn't time-management or lack of productivity, as you might expect. It was simply: not having the luxury of being in an office. As a remote employee, you lose the emotional-social aspect of interacting with a team. You miss out on a weekly coffee walk with your boss to check in, and you can't walk over to your coworker's desk and ask her advice on how to approach a unique customer situation. Ultimately, in a remote setting, you risk losing the experience of genuine company culture.

Enter COVID-19. Many companies across the US and the world issued a work-from-home mandate. For those companies that escaped the unfortunate situation of mass layoffs, remote work became even more of a reality (and a rushed one). Fortunately, more organizations are coming to the realization that their employees are just as effective, if not more so, in a remote capacity. It seems that remote work has gained a wider acceptance and I believe it will continue to be embraced long-term by companies big and small, across all industries.

So, how do we maintain a strong company culture in a virtual setting? Or maybe even more important for younger and smaller companies--how do we build culture in a virtual setting? There are definitely social nuances and an in-person connection that come with being together, but having a strong workplace culture, virtual or not, comes down to three practices.

Gratitude

Studies have shown that gratitude changes the way you think, work, and interact with others. Being grateful is actually linked to a more positive well-being. Harvard Medical school published an article which states, "Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships." All of these are integral to creating a strong company culture. The University of Pennsylvania held a fundraiser where individuals responsible for fundraising were divided into two groups. One of the groups was given a talk prior to the event by the Director of Annual Giving where she told them how grateful she was for their efforts in helping raise money. That group raised over 50% more than the group who didn't receive a talk at all. While it's fair to say that there may have been other factors that yielded the fundraising success, I believe, as do the researchers that conducted the study, that gratitude was a major factor. It's essential for high-performing, fulfilled employees.

Find ways to cultivate gratitude within your virtual workplace. Be intentional in saying "thank you" even if it's over Slack, write your employee a thank you card and mail it to them, jot down an aspect of your job that you are thankful for every day. It may feel contrived at first, but it will quickly transform how you work, lead, and live. And regardless of your role, it will have a huge impact on your organization.

Listening

Being able to listen mindfully is the key to being an effective leader/employee/team member/spouse/coach... the list goes on and on. Think of the five most influential people in your life. I'd be willing to bet five-out-of-five are good listeners. Unfortunately, listening is a lost art and can be a tough skill to master. (I’m a terrible listener--just ask my wife). 

Stephen Covey highlights the power of listening in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey points out that the social and educational norms of the West teach us to communicate (speak, read, and write) but not how to listen. In the workplace, many people, myself included, feel they need to be heard in order to a) be taken seriously and/or b) move up in their company. A Harvard Business Review publication on Mindful Listening says the opposite: "You cannot have leadership presence without hearing what others have to say." In a room full of people, the individuals who listen more than they speak are often the ones who are more successful.

Training yourself to be a good listener, especially in the workplace, is tough. So often I catch myself interrupting, providing solutions and suggestions, or thinking about what I'm going to say next. Start with small daily shifts: take notes in meetings, be attentive to your body language and eye contact (yes, even in your home office), don't be working on other things during a virtual call, and put your phone away when you have the opportunity to get coffee or lunch with a colleague. Eliminating these distractions will set you up for major success as you train yourself to be present.

Candor

(can· dor | noun: unreserved, honest, or sincere expression; forthrightness)

Not only is this one of my favorite words to say, but I believe it's vital to an efficient company environment. The jobs where I've experienced the most growth have been the jobs where my manager consistently gave me direct feedback on my performance. As someone who hates confrontation, I prefer to handle tough conversations with the beat-around-the-bush method, but this mentality leads to missed deadlines, continued bad habits, little opportunity for growth, and a lack of camaraderie. A culture of candor allows all employees to speak up and leads to greater trust, which reduces opportunities for gossip, inefficiency, and burnout--all of which ultimately lead to employee turnover. It fosters the space to admit mistakes, share ideas, address our fears, and clearly set expectations.

Candor in the workplace does not mean criticism. It does not mean constant call-outs or negative comments. A culture of candor means communicating transparently with grace, it means acknowledging when you've wronged a coworker and forgiving when you’ve been wronged, it means the lowest-level employee can speak up in a meeting and feel valued for it. And yes, it sometimes means having unpleasant conversations. But if the end goal leads to a better you and a better company, honest (albeit difficult) conversations must happen.

Of course, there are many nuances that play into company culture - the product, the location, the size, etc. But I firmly believe that these three practices are the foundation of a strong culture across all companies and amongst all employees, from C-level to entry-level. As the remote-work environment continues to grow in popularity, exercising these in your day-to-day activities will help you stay tuned-in and focused on your goals. Start each workday with gratitude, be intentional about mindfully listening to your peers, and be open and honest through it all. Consistently executing these three simple (but not easy) practices will yield a meaningful and successful company culture.

Works mentioned: Harvard Medical School Study | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Mindful Listening