Is Remote Work Helping or Hurting Your Culture?

Let's talk about remote work. I see a new article every week either proclaiming that remote work is the way of the future, or it's ruining our workplace culture. So which is it?

I personally believe that remote work can increase efficiencies and also enhance the culture of organizations. At Collaborative, a large percentage of our workforce works remotely 100% of the time. The rest of us go into the office most days, but can work remotely as needed. This flexibility is something that I hear over and over again is a huge reason why people enjoy working at Collaborative.

 When organizations perpetuate the idea that people have to be in their chairs from 8 am to 5 pm with an hour break for lunch, everyone loses. We like to treat people as the adults they are: as long as the work is getting done, their location shouldn't matter. If people have some wiggle room in their schedules, they'll tend to be more productive, more efficient, and happier overall. I've seen this firsthand with Collabies both in my office and in speaking to remote Collabies across the globe.

 Organizations should consider how much they can widen their pool of available talent if they let go of the idea that you have to be physically sitting across from someone in order to collaborate with them. The most talented people - the people that you hope to hire - will recognize the value of their talents and won't compromise for outdated philosophies.

 An important caveat here is that remote work is not for everyone. Some people do need others around them physically to perform well in their role. Hiring managers and talent acquisition teams should thoroughly vet the working styles and preferences of candidates to ensure that remote roles will be a mutually beneficial fit for both candidates and their potential future teams.

 In short, out of sight should not translate to out of mind. There are many ways to still be 'present' with customers and co-workers. Today, we have so many tools available to us that there is really no reason why people in remote-compatible jobs shouldn't be able to work remotely, at least some of the time. I’d like to offer three ways you can quickly embrace remote workers into your company culture:

1.         Use video conferencing tools - it doesn't matter which one you choose. Pick a tool and encourage everyone to use it for all its functionality: chat, meet, share screens, and I strongly encourage turning on your cameras for some face time. Yes, you'll get used to it!

2.         Find technologies to help employees connect with each other - we have implemented a tool that allows Collabies to see who lives near them and reach out to get together. Whether a consultant is traveling to a new city and wants to meet their coworkers for dinner, or a new hire would like to start regular meetups for the Collabie Culture Club, this tool enables people to find each other and connect in real ways. Of course, anyone can opt out of being included in the map, which is crucial for privacy preferences.

3.         Meet together in person for "town halls" - we have been flying out remote workers to their closest office for a few years now as part of our "Traveling Town Hall" meetings. This is a great way for people to meet each other and participate in fun & educational activities together beyond the meeting itself.

 So what do you think? Share some ways that you've seen remote work done well, and maybe even some ways that it has been a challenge! How did you approach that challenge?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!