5 Key Components of Strong Virtual Office Culture

Now that remote teams are on the rise, one of the new challenges employers and managers face is the need to know how to build strong remote teams and how to maintain company culture remotely.

But really, why is company culture important? Here are some of the top reasons:

• Company culture helps build long-term relationships. Strengthening team bonds aid in building trust and enhancing communication.
• It also plays a vital role in top talent retention. This happens because when an employee’s personal values match or align with those of the company, they tend to stay long-term and aim to be part of something bigger toward the overall success of the organization.

With that, how will you impact team culture while working on a fully remote team? Let’s look at the key components of a strong virtual office culture and see how you can apply them!

Unconditional connection.

A strong virtual office culture encourages building relationships with remote employees. Contrary to popular belief, company culture doesn’t just refer to the physical aspect of the work setup. More often than not, it is based on the relationships and common ground established between the team members, employees, and leaders of an organization.

It’s also advantageous for teams to be able to build a type of connection that’s brought about by their shared and respected values, interests, and approach on how they deliver their work, both as an individual member and a team player.

Shared leadership.

In managing a remote team, building a sense of shared leadership also means shared responsibility and accountability. While it may put a heavier toll on team members, doing this also gives them an opportunity to pull the team ahead instead of just owing it all up to the manager or team leader. Delegating leadership tasks to team members also allows them to practice their decision-making skills not just for their personal success, but also to the betterment of their colleagues and the overall organization through desired results.

Further, this kind of virtual team culture promotes continuous breeding of future leaders and team players, which are key assets of a successful business. 

Established work system.

Like in any office setup, clear policies and well-communicated expectations and guidelines contribute to an effective remote team.

Of course, for a team to function, an effective set of principles, practices, and even rules help keep everything in order and aligned with the goals of the company. With that, remote teams function better when they have concrete pointers of what the company and their leader expect from them.

Even-playing work environment.

Promoting healthy competition between team members and even leaders is also a way to build a stronger virtual office culture. This work competition brings necessary cues for improvement for employees to keep up with certain benchmarks set by the team or of the company. In turn, team members are more efficient and productive with their tasks and responsibilities even in remote work setups.

Continuous learning and development opportunities.

Since the work-from-home or remote work setup is more challenging in terms of struggling to balance work from personal life, employees appreciate it when employers and leaders get out of their way to offer learning initiatives. These sessions include sponsored or discounted online courses, regular feedback meetings, and other professional development seminars which can help employees improve their skills and even keep them on track of their performance and goals.

Also, leaders and colleagues must conduct mentorship programs and buddy systems to keep employee performance monitored, and maintain regular check-ins to counteract the feeling of being isolated.

To conclude, maintaining a solid work culture regardless of the work setup is a long, tedious process worth going through. It may feel tiresome to establish a certain company culture to live by, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to making the people feel valued and needed that keeps the business going and thriving.Need more employer tips and career advice? Make sure to check out more of Bossjob’s career guides!