If you run a company and don’t have remote employees, you’re probably in the minority these days. The shift toward a remote workforce isn’t a flash in the pan or something reserved for Silicon Valley visionaries — it’s more likely the new status quo. And from where I’m standing, it’s certainly not a bad thing.
A study done by a Stanford professor showed that remote employees are 13% more productive than their in-house counterparts. Then there’s the office real estate savings, the expansive hiring pool and increased employee retention rates. That’s a lot to love. But a remote workforce looks different for many, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be a one-size-fits-all solution.
As the CEO of a company with a growing remote contingency, I’ve seen this transition firsthand. Some employees thrive in a remote environment; others don’t. Sometimes, it’s the in-house employees who need to adapt and grow into their new team structure. The juice is worth the squeeze if you can set the team up for success, so here are a few tips for building a culture you’re proud of with both on-site and off-site employees:
Invest in good conferencing tech.
Face-to-face communication is essential, not only for getting work done, but for building a strong team culture. Camaraderie can get lost over the phone, and especially via chat, but video conferencing is pretty darn close to the real thing if done right.
While Google Hangouts works just fine for one-on-ones, group meetings can be hard to follow. Invest in quality tech. It’s worth it. Train your team to include remote employees in conversation in large meetings. Or, consider taking a giant step back and asking yourself if that many people in a meeting is productive in the first place.
Include remote team members in full-team syncs and culture events.
Start by revisiting the building blocks of what makes your in-house culture strong, and then brainstorm how to include your remote employees as best you can. For example, we hold biweekly full-team syncs that help us get on the same page and stay transparent from the top down. We started setting up a video conference for remote employees so they can follow along and even sneak in some virtual face time with team members they may not regularly interact with. The same can be done with culture-driven events such as birthday celebrations, happy hours and traditions like our annual chili-off.
Hire good managers.
Good managers establish positive, productive cultures no matter where their team members are located. Good managers also understand how to hold their teams accountable to KPIs and goals, and they know that productivity is not dependent on being physically present. Managers will play key roles in including remote employees in important collaborative moments. In other words, they’re steadfast in being advocates for their teams, on-site or off.
Make video meetings the norm.
We can all admit that video conferencing can feel uncomfortable at first. Like anything, it quickly becomes normal with time, but you have to insist on the team sticking to it. Make sure remote employees video conference into all morning stand-ups and employee touch-bases, and soon video will be the new normal.
Keep it social.
Yes, Slack can get distracting at times, but it’s also an important communication tool for remote employees to stay engaged. We created a “random” channel for employees to share funny stories or relevant industry articles. Even remote employees need a few “water cooler” moments, and Slack is a great way to take day-to-day culture moments virtual.
Budget for some face time.
Human beings are human beings, and there is nothing like direct face time to establish a relationship. Budget to hold a full-team off-site annually, including remote employees, and you won’t regret it. When all is said and done, and your team heads back to their respective offices, those memories and relationships will feed into their collaborative workflow.
Also, bring remote employees in for quarterly or monthly visits. Even a day or two in the office can result in a new connection at the coffee maker or a transformational whiteboarding session.
Hold a full-team remote day.
They say you can’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, and we took that to heart. We hold occasional full-team work-from-home days so that the entire team can get comfortable with best practices.
As CEOs, we have to be in the practice of constantly reframing our perspectives to stay successful. The fact is that building a great company culture is always a challenge, with or without remote employees. At the end of the day, putting the effort forward is one of the most rewarding parts of getting out of bed every day.
