Remote working - Maintaining your business culture

Last week I sat at my desk and said 'with everything that's going on at the moment, I think it's time for a new LinkedIn article'. This was met with groans and negative comments, 'Oh god, here he goes again...'.

Remote working. It's two words on the lips and keyboards of every IT business owner and employee at the moment. For many, companies are entering uncharted waters and beginning to offer a way of working they've never implemented or experienced before.

So.. How do you maintain a business culture when your team isn't all in one place. Strap in. Here we go...

Communication

Don't worry. Communication is a pretty obvious one I know, so I'm not going to act like I've just discovered fire or running water.

Open and active communication is the BEST way to create and maintain that office-based feel whilst your team works from home. Besides the odd video or audio conference call, it's important that communication in writing flows and is frequent.

Use a platform like Slack. You can create multiple channels both work and culture related. Set-up channels for employees to discuss their love of games, films, football and music.

I spotted a slack channel called #TheVirtualWaterCooler. I like this. Bit of chit chat around the day's challenges, objectives and tasks.

Keep it fun

Tools down on a Friday at 4pm (4pm used as an example), get everyone included in a video or audio call and have a bit of a debrief of what's been achieved, and what's been happening over the course of the week just gone.

Grab a coffee (or a beer if that's your culture) and discuss the weekend ahead. Run through some individual highlights from the week. Most weeks in the workplace will involve some funny stories or drama, so share them if they a suitable.

Everyone would love to hear about Gavin swilling his keyboard with Coffee mid-week.

Get some brand memorabilia sent out to the team

Maybe think about a large portrait picture of the CTO and business owners, a shrine.

Actually scrap that, that's a bad idea.

BUT... Notebooks, Pens, Posters, and Mugs are all fantastic ways to make Developers feel like they are part of a team working as part of an exciting business.

Team meet-ups and events

When and IF possible, ensure that you host physical team events. I appreciate that this may not be possible for everyone, especially if your team is working remotely across all corners of the UK. It's something to think about.

Summary

I know that this is just a short piece. The main goal is to make people think about maintaining that business culture, and make people feel involved as part of a team whilst they work from home.

Many individuals will welcome the change and introduction of remote working. For others, being office-based is a preference due to the social interaction. You have to keep this in mind.

Culture is something that could be easily forgotten during these turbulent times, but it's vital that we do what we can to pull together.

Look after each other 🙌🏻