Maintaining Company Culture with Fully Remote Teams
Company Culture is a lot more than just Happy Hours, icebreaker games, and celebrating milestones. The team’s mentality IS culture. If you didn’t know this already, chances are you learned pretty quickly when COVID hit and the majority of teams went fully remote! Our workplace culture has always run much deeper than that here at Power Digital, and the proof is in each and every one of our remote team member’s attitudes in how they show up for each other and continue to do so even through working remotely.
Starting Out: Breaking Down the Walls and Building Trust
We know how to let our hair down here, that is pretty obvious once you’ve participated in an event at Power, but that’s not something that always comes naturally for a team of over 100! It’s important for team members to be able to be themselves and let their walls down when they are at work. Honestly one of the best things we have going for us is our incredible leadership team leading by example. Our HR and Ops team uses tools such as 15Five to keep our finger on the pulse of how every employee is doing weekly.
Like others, we make goals around here, but it’s different. We make goals that actually get checked in on by our managers regularly. We know that where we aim is our only limit and our managers do everything they can to help us hit those goals. Empowering our employees from their very first day builds an incredible trust in teams, and due to this trust we all know we can use our individual super powers and thrive together, feeling just as connected as a remote team as we did in the physical office.
Related: Power Digital Marketing Shares How to Create an Amazing Work Place and Culture
If we can’t all BE together, how can we feel connected like a true team?
Just because we can’t physically all be together, does not mean culture is suddenly gone. You may feel alone while working from home day in and day out as a remote team member which is why staying connected is more important now than ever. It may be something as little as creating some fun “chatter” in your slack channels or catching up with your friends in a different department, all the way to the big company wide meetings. During those interactions whether they be big or small, being fully present is key. At Power Digital, we have daily standups, Monday scrums and weekly company wide meetings to name a few. We have monthly kickoffs which consist of lots of skits, jokes, laughs and transparency amongst the entire team. Lastly, every Friday we have a goals session to wrap up the week. The team brings the heat, we’ve got people rapping, singing, you name it- it’s happening. Being virtual this year is different, but if you are intentional with the interactions and communication you have throughout the day and week, you will feel more connected than ever.
Related: How to Find Balance in the Remote Working World
Get Everyone Involved in Company Culture
Teamwork makes the dream work right? Right. It is a team effort to maintain and grow the company culture day in and day out. Having a Culture Committee is key to why remote team culture is thriving at Power Digital. The committee consists of team players across every department that love making events for the company as a whole to help us feel connected and remember to work hard, but also to have fun. Whether they be virtual happy hours, cooking a meal together, or kindness contests, they all contribute to the company’s culture and spark employee engagement.
It has been especially fun to watch our cultural initiatives expand as we have grown from a 30 person company to that of nearly 200. To ensure we don’t lose our “roots” we have established culture champions within each department. In addition to the responsibilities of their regular positions, these team leader champions have KPIs and goals around ensuring their fellow teammates feel included, motivated, and inspired to get up and work each day. These individuals are a core link in bringing the distributed teams members together and tackling our industry leading retention rate head on even with a remote workforce!
