Telecommuting, virtual culture, work-from-home gigs, and remote work has become increasingly popular in the past year. Recent events and technological improvements make working at home more accessible and cost-effective than it’s ever been before. Workers may not be work in an office space or even in the same hemisphere as other employees, but that doesn’t mean that they have to lack a sense of community and connection to their team.
It’s best to establish a remote work culture to ensure that the project runs efficiently. There’s a set of morals, behaviors, and beliefs in a remote work culture that unites the team. This set of beliefs or “rules” drives the team towards achieving their common goals and ultimately determines the project’s success.
Cons of Remote Work
Remote work or working at home can come with many adverse effects. These effects include low morale and strained interpersonal relationships. Many remote employees find themselves feeling ill-informed, isolated, and altogether separated from other employees. Remote work can leave employees feeling overworked and under-appreciated, which can eventually lead to poor performance.
Pros of Remote Work Culture
Establishing a transparent, well-promoted remote work culture is the best way to keep employees happy, motivated, and feeling like they’re part of a team. No matter how geographically diverse the group may be, they can still maintain professionalism and efficiency. This is possible by outlining clear “to-do’s” and “not-to-do’s” within the company. Rules such as “no exchanging in gossip” or “always reply to emails courteously” ensures that every employee does their part to establish a healthy virtual work environment.
How to Establish an Organized Remote Work Culture
The most effective way to establish a remote work culture is to outline what it is clearly. Define all expectations and then promote it by sending out a company email, virtual message, memo, etc. In this message, it’s essential to explain the “to-do’s” and “not-to-do’s” while also explaining those rules’ intentions.
Why is this rule necessary? What will it affect? What does this rule achieve?
Once the rules are clearly defined to the employees, remain vocal and persistent in promoting this remote work culture.
When employees span the globe, time zones and communication can be a severe issue. This common problem is why it’s ideal to establish and promote a stable asynchronous communication system. This means that employees can share data and information intermittently, depending on their workload, availability, and importance of the project. This system cuts out the issues of differing time zones and is known to promote productivity.
In remote work, there is a lot of text and worded communication. This can cause a lot of issues when the wrong team communication technology is chosen. For the best results, find the proper communication tools to fit your business needs and priorities. These needs may include project management applications, onboarding applications, cloud storage, and timezone management software.
Running a successful team can be difficult, especially when you’re geographically diverse. Luckily, it’s remarkably simple to make sure that all employees feel satisfied, motivated, and well-connected. An established remote work culture will keep the project running efficiently, promote worker productivity, and improve overall performance.
Ready to learn more about your remote work culture? Start with our Go Virtual Small Business Accelerator!