Work culture is an important aspect of every organization as it represents the core values, aims and goals of the organization so that employees are aligned with the same and have a feeling of togetherness. In a digital work environment, where everybody is working from their homes or other locations, it is extremely important to establish a digital culture to create an environment of transparency and productivity while giving employees a sense of belonging even when they are distributed across the globe and hardly meet their coworkers.
“Remote work culture is defined as the digital culture within an organization which enables employees to stay connected through shared experiences, interests, and priorities. A strong remote work culture gives employees a sense of belonging that transcends physical boundaries.’’
Why is remote work culture important?
1. It curbs social isolation: A digital or remote work culture is extremely important as it helps in curb social isolation and loneliness that employees may face. Since, everyone works from different locations with zero face to face interactions, sometimes employees may feel isolated or lonely. Therefore, having a positive work culture where everyone can be connected digitally and feels aligned to the goals/missions of the organization is extremely important.
2. It helps in building long term relationships: Many studies have observed that employees who identify themselves with their organizations culture and are happy with the work culture are less likely to leave the organization. Therefore, a positive remote work culture also helps in building long term relationships with employees and also effectively manage or retain the workforce
3. More flexibility for employees and increase in job satisfaction: A positive remote work culture will allow employees to have flexibility regarding the schedules so that they can personalise their working schedule as per their need and convenience. This will help them in having job satisfaction, having a work life balance and less stressful work environment. Happier employees means less absenteeism and less resignations.
Tips on building a remote work culture
1.Sharing the missions, goals and aims of the organization: It is extremely important for employees to properly share their companies’ missions, goals and aims with all its employees right at the beginning so that everyone can identify with the same and align their professional goals with the company goals. This will also bring in a sense of belongingness amongst all the employees where they will feel to be an important member of the family.
2.Using the right tools: Since everyone works from home/other locations and are highly dependent on internet and other tools to stay connected, therefore it is extremely important for companies to invest in the right tools where they can provide all the employees with a platform where they can connect with everyone and discuss/communicate about different things. For example, slack can offer such a platform. Moreover, they should also invest in tools that facilitate video calls so that employees feel connected with each other and it will curb social isolation and loneliness
3. Team building activities/Employee engagement: Employers should invest in team building activities for all its employees as it will help in boosting productivity, have job satisfaction and reduce stress. Many companies now have a separate employee engagement team who organizes team building activities for everyone. Some examples of team building activities are- open mic sessions, virtual birthdays, virtual farewells, celebrating different festivals digitally and other such activities. This will also provide them with a platform to have a break from work and an outlet to express themselves
4.Proper communication, sharing feedbacks and group calls: A positive remote work culture will definitely have proper and transparent communication amongst all its members. Also, employers/managers will be open to taking feedbacks from the employees. In order to do this, regular team calls or 1:1 calls should be arranged to discuss about work and other aspects as well. Manager and employers can also sit with their employees and discuss about growth trajectories in the next couple of months and should be open to taking feedbacks from them. Similarly, weekly team calls or group calls should be regularized so that the entire team feels like a family and can open communicate with each other
5. Equal opportunity for all: Employers should not discriminate employees on the basis of race, sex, culture, geography and should treat everyone equally. This will ensure fair opportunities for all
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that remote work culture is very important in such a digital work environment. Employers and businesses should definitely invest in creating a positive work culture as it will help in attracting, managing and retaining talent. A positive work culture will also ensure that employees have a greater sense of job satisfaction, positive work life balance and feeling of togetherness.
