Culture Isn't Just For In-Office Teams

Oct 19, 2024
Office Culture

Many organizations believe that workplace culture is better when in the office. But what about those teams who work remotely? The good news is that it's not so much the location of the work, as much as it is the leadership.

We understand that with remote work there comes different challenges. So at Monarch Coaching we've developed some strategies for leaders to address some of the most common challenges of working remotely; ensuring we build trusting, effective, and caring team cultures, regardless of where we work!

 

Challenge #1: Less access to work resources and equipment

Suggestion:  Provide virtual access to necessary tools. Sharing resources is easier than ever. Leverage cloud-based solutions to maintain easy access to work resources, and empower your team members to share their own resources with the rest of the team. Remember that not everything should come from you when you are an inclusive leader who offers a platform for collaboration!

 

Challenge #2: Feeling less connected to the organization’s culture

Suggestion:  Implement regular virtual team-building activities and town halls to keep everyone engaged with the company's mission and values. The way you treat your team members reflects the organization’s culture. So make sure to embody the company values every single day.

 

Challenge #3: Decreased collaboration with the team

Suggestion: Use collaboration tools like Slack, Teams, or Trello to encourage continuous communication, and set up regular team check-ins. Ensure these check-ins come from a place of curiosity. You want to know how your team members are doing and how you can support them. You can also facilitate monthly check-ins with the entire team to assess synergy and explore ways to improve interaction among team members.

 

Challenge #4: Impaired working relationships with coworkers

Suggestion: Facilitate virtual coffee chats or casual meetings to foster stronger interpersonal relationships, mimicking in-office water-cooler moments. Host happy hours where everyone joins the meeting with their favorite drink and come prepared with a few icebreaker questions. You can also have different team members host these “happy hours” to ensure higher engagement at each gathering!

 

Challenge #5 Reduced cross-functional communication and collaboration

Suggestion: Promote cross-team projects and inter-departmental meetings to encourage collaboration, utilizing breakout rooms in virtual meetings for smaller group discussions.

 

Challenge #6 More difficult to coordinate work schedules, tasks, and timelines with their teammates

Suggestion: Use shared digital calendars and project management tools to align schedules and tasks, making coordination smoother regardless of time zones.

 

With the right leadership, these challenges can be reframed into opportunities that drive team unity and productivity. Strong leadership bridges the gap between remote and in-person work, inspiring high engagement regardless of location.

 #Leadership #HybridWork #TeamBuilding #InclusiveLeadership