“Being a great place to work is the difference between being a good company and a great company.” – Brian Kristofek, President and CEO, Upshot

Company culture is more than the sum of its parts. It’s an expression of an organization’s values and goals that you can discern in everyday activity – from how people dress and work together, to how tasks are shared, and what’s talked about in meetings. A company’s culture affects everything we do – on the good days when prospects are high, and through challenging times when resources are thin. 

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Like a person, a company culture can be seen as approachable or toxic, stressful or supportive, chaotic or organized. And what people think matters: 94% of respondents in a recent study said that company culture is critical to an organization’s success. 

At the same time, nearly 30% of the global workforce is remote – that number gets as high as 70% for some industries. How can you build a positive culture when everyone is dispersed? Maybe it’s time to ditch the idea of company culture altogether? Absolutely not. Here’s why:

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When an employee feels connected to the company’s culture they’re:

- Gallup/Workhuman

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For remote workers, feeling connected is arguably even more important: it’s the key to engagement. And Gallup identifies “engagement” as the mortar for business metrics like productivity, profitability, and customer loyalty. 

So don’t ditch it! Here are 25 ways to create a thriving company culture with remote workers. 

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1. Town halls

These all-company conversations are popular for building trust and a sense of belonging. A regular regroup shows that management is taking the time to listen. A town hall can plug all staff into company news, give space to introduce new hires, and celebrate wins – and even share some light relief (cue a slideshow of the holiday sweater competition). This is a great time for senior management to share big-picture views of company ambitions, and to make space for team and local updates – whether it’s celebrating a new account or reporting on conference attendance. Here are some tips for planning a successful town hall. 

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2. Innovation pitch days

An employee pitch day is an exciting way to encourage collaboration and innovation. Whether you’re running a small accountancy firm or a global creative agency, chances are your staff have some great ideas about how to do things differently – from organizing email folders more efficiently to overhauling the company branding. Give them the floor and get ready to be surprised. Here are some top ideas about how to build a successful internal pitch. 

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3. Ask Me Anything with C-Suite

This is a fine suggestion from coach Alla Adams for execs to keep an achievable open-door policy, adding that regular Ask Me Anythings (AMAs) work well in virtual format. “AMAs initiate the expression of radical vulnerability from both sides.” Adams says. “They also help foster a culture of trust, curiosity, agility, and connection.”

LumApps has all the tech for top-down internal comms. Check out the town hall feature as part of our Enterprise Portal. 

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4. Lunchtime speaker sessions

Get everyone’s creative juices flowing! Guest speakers can run the gamut from home-office improvement gurus to cooking and nutrition experts to authors and artists talking about their work. Keep the focus on creativity (instead of business) to give employees an opportunity to explore. You can keep track of your video meetings so that workers across time zones and schedules can watch the recordings. 

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5. Wellness and therapy resources

Providing free access to wellness resources signals that your organization values each employee, which can nurture trust. Apps like Unmind, Calm, and Headspace have been designed for use at work or with little time to spare; even a ten-minute meditation exercise can make a difference. Companies are starting to bring therapists in-house, so providing subsidized or free counseling to your remote workers shows that their mental health is just as important. 

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6. Online movement classes

Online movement sessions are a great way to lift spirits and keep energy up (camera optional!). Pilates, yoga, fitness, and dance are good options. New research shows that dancing in particular helps improve cognitive function – so encourage employees to clear a space in their home set-ups and shake it out. 

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“To learn through listening, practice it naively and actively. Naively means that you listen openly, ready to learn something, as opposed to listening defensively, ready to rebut. Listening actively means you acknowledge what you heard and act accordingly.”— Betsy Sanders, The Sanders Partnership

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7. Personalized digital workspace

Personalization is a pivotal way for remote workers to feel seen and heard as part of daily workflow. So, it’s no surprise that personalized communications top the list of LumApps’ ways to improve the employee experience. It’s also the reason we introduced Companion, an AI-powered solution that includes a personalized employee dashboard, alongside other ways to tailor workflow to each person’s needs. 

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8. Recognition program

Countless new studies show that employee recognition is the single-most important factor in a company’s culture. Many enterprises have a recognition program, an umbrella term for the multiple ways – big and small – to promote engagement, boost productivity, and foster a positive work culture. Find out how to build a great employee recognition program with social, monetary, and peer-to-peer aspects. 

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“Employees who receive great recognition are 20 times as likely to be engaged as employees who receive poor recognition.” – Gallup/Workhuman, “Empowering workplace culture through recognition” 

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9. Build a feedback culture  

We’re all familiar with the regular feedback session that gets dropped the day it’s supposed to happen. It’s not that employees don’t want feedback, or that managers don’t want to give it; but this type of pre-scheduled meeting shouldn’t be the only time that mutuality happens. A dynamic environment where everyone is encouraged to give and receive feedback increases performance, engagement, and job satisfaction – all of which feed into a wider culture of excellence. This is especially important for keeping a remote team communicating freely. Find out more about effective workplace feedback. 

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10. Celebrate milestones and anniversaries

We bring our personal lives into work, so when key moments like an anniversary or the purchase of a home or other life milestone is celebrated by our peers it can mean a lot – and it also activates the reward system, a powerful force for productivity. 

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11. Perks, coupons, and discounts

Everyone loves a good deal! Offering discounts on appliances and other household goods, tech and office improvement, or sports and cultural events like gallery shows, plays, and concerts is a popular way to make people feel appreciated. For remote workers, vouchers for lunch delivery and supermarkets are a win – food is a motivator. These may seem like small things, but the message is big: this company recognizes your contributions.

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"People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise and rewards." - Dale Carnegie

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12. Welcome new hires with gusto

A robust onboarding process is a key characteristic of a thriving company culture. Structured, dedicated onboarding sets the tone: give new hires the tools and guidance they need and encourage them to reach out if they don’t understand something – and be sure they know who to reach out to. Start as you intend to go on! Here’s our guide to onboarding for remote employees. 

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13. Team and employee appreciation emails   

This is a small gesture that can make a huge difference to someone’s sense of worth. It could be a thank-you note from another team member for picking up a task, or a group email from a manager applauding someone for getting through to a difficult client. All employees should be encouraged to say “thank you” and “well done” with ease.

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“Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with a passion.”
– Brian Chesky, Co-Founder, CEO, Airbnb

14. Virtual social events 

Team building and engagement are so important for remote teams – and there are plenty of ways to unite everyone for fun and bonding. Whether you’re looking for a simple pub trivia night (we all have a peer who’d love to host), or a full-on experience like a murder mystery or virtual escape room, putting in off-the-clock time together creates a sense of belonging. Here’s a helpful rated list of virtual team building activities so you can see what’s worked already.  

15. Communities of interest

Calling all book, cinema, or TV lovers! Most workplaces have subcultures that develop through initiatives that bring people together based on shared interests and priorities. This can be everything from a passion for sci-fi to forums for pet parents where they can share advice and photos. Find out how LumApps’ Communities of Interest unite people across distances.

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16. Communities of practice

Our Communities of Practice help employees create online areas to harness internal expertise. This is a great way to foster knowledge sharing, collaboration, and brainstorming no matter where people are. Sometimes the unique combination of skills a project needs isn’t an external consultant – it’s Patrick and Sheryl, who work in the Seattle and Wichita offices. 

LumApps’ multi-site intranet capabilities lets you create online participatory spaces for an event or project, for teams who need regular connectivity, or employees with a shared interest. Our communities are where people meet to strengthen bonds and build a sense of belonging.

17. Mentoring 

Mentoring is a highly effective (and cost efficient!) way to share skills and experiences within your company. Whether a worker is in their first three months or their second decade of employment, connecting an employee with someone inspirational can be transformative for them and your business. The Harvard Business Review tells us what great mentoring looks like in a hybrid workplace.

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18. Career development 

Nobody wants to feel like they’ve been left behind. Offering career-path advice can be everything from one-to-one coaching to employee skill-swapping via online tutorials. Whatever your development efforts, helping your employees grow to achieve their goals will make them feel valued – a feeling they’ll pour into their work. You can also offer access to language and learning apps or sites like Masterclass for less structured enrichment. 

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66% of employees believe that professional development enhances company culture
- Bamboo, “The Definitive Guide to Company Culture” 

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19. Gamified and nano learning 

LumApps offers multiple ways to learn on the job, including our popular micro learning functionalities. Even upskilling or learning a new piece of software for just ten minutes a few times a week is enough to transform someone’s ability to do their job. Find out how microlearning creates a culture of professional development. 

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20. Flexible work practices

Not everyone is going to do their best work at 8:30am – or 8:30pm for that matter. When teams work remotely, the best thing you can do is be clear about expectations and then let each member tell you how they plan to achieve these goals. Alignment across time zones and work schedules is important, but so is autonomy – at the end of the day the focus should be project delivery, not micromanagement. What’s more, Forbes reports that flexible, remote workplaces are an excellent opportunity to foster inclusivity. 

21. Insist on trust

Remote working relies on trust – which in turn needs clear channels of communication. If your employees don’t feel like they can be straightforward, you’re not going to get the best out of them. Like all areas of life, trust goes hand in hand with transparency: it’s built on mutual respect and by upholding our word. Here are ten ways to build trust remotely. 

22. Encourage the hive mind 

The term ‘hive mind’ is thrown around a lot, but it’s a real phenomenon and it can be an asset when you’ve got a remote team. At its core, the hive mind is about keeping lines of communication open in a way that leads organically to joint decision making, unified messaging, and the attainment of shared goals. There’s even a book about it!

23. Create a plan for consistent company comms

The comms team can be an overlooked resource when it comes to remote working. Regular comms updates that offer a 360° view of a company, as well as team-specific news, are an excellent way to keep everyone in the loop. Read our paper about how to create and activate a successful comms strategy.  

“Businesses often forget about the culture, and ultimately, they suffer for it because you can’t deliver good service from unhappy employees.”
– Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos

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24. Best tech for inclusivity 

Legacy programs like Sharepoint weren’t designed with remote workers in mind. They don’t allow for multi-tenancy, to start, can exacerbate the dreaded app switching, and have limited scope for personalization. The LumApps employee hub has been designed to make all workers feel included and informed, no matter where they are or what device they’re using. 

And last but not least…

25. Establish a Culture Committee 

Get together a group of eager employees from different departments – including HR and management reps – to form a culture committee that spearheads the types of initiatives discussed here to enrich the experience of remote workers. A culture committee can also measure engagement and gather feedback so that efforts don’t fall flat or grow stale. This is important because a great cultural initiative is only as good as its uptake, and a great company culture only develops through authentic, value-driven joint efforts. 

Speaking of their own cultural committee, Mike Denton, Vice President of Talent at 10th Magnitude said:

"We talk about what is going on in our employees’ lives, the office vibe and life as a remote worker to try and stay in front of any potential issues and provide a great employment experience.

Attention leadership, comms, HR, and IT teams! 

LumApps provides robust tools and communication solutions, as well as cross-platform and device functionality. We help enterprises shape digital employee experiences and generate meaningful employee journeys by keeping their workforces productive, up-to-date, and informed. 

To find out how LumApps can help you generate a more dynamic and connected company culture, book a meeting today. 

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