The ways in which employees determine how satisfied they are at work are changing faster than many of us realize. As a culture, we’re not that many decades into recognizing the benefits of a healthy work culture on the bottom line – and now, with the thunderbolt of the COVID pandemic, that healthy work culture needs to take root and keep rooted for many employees who have never and may never set foot into your company’s headquarters. (Even the term “company headquarters” is beginning to have an archaic ring to it.)
So how do people managers do it? What have they learned over the last year or so about the business of running a group that has to function with the steady benefit of teamwork while still remaining physically perhaps thousands of miles apart on the globe? Nobody has the magic formula yet, and we can’t quite be expected to. But the people are waiting for that new normal to firm up so they can make their plans, and those plans are founded on the new ideal (for many) of remote work. And here’s how five companies are making it work.
When did your workforce become remote?
TKWW pivoted a full remote global workforce in early March 2020. While we had always been a flexible workplace across the majority of our departments, we pivoted work setups, IT support, and our entire global community of employees to virtual reality.
Can you share with us a few ways in which The Knot Worldwide manages to keep its remote culture rooted in genuine company values? )
At TKWW our values drive all of our decisions and our employees really do live them every single day, whether spending the workday in person or remotely. Over the last year and a half, our core value of Winning Together took on a new life as we collaborated from coast to coast. Our teams became even more supportive of each other’s professional and personal lives as we saw beyond the four walls of an office and into each other’s homes via Google Hangouts. Each year, we nominate and recognize employees as a part of our Core Value Awards, and last year’s award recipients felt even more connected to our Core Values as our teams had the chance to get to know employees who work across the world. Moving to remote work has broken down barriers that typically exist in an office environment.
In what ways is fostering remote culture a fundamentally different challenge than fostering in-office culture?
Our culture is something that makes working at TKWW so special. We believe that our employees make us a great place to work, whether they are in the office or working remotely. With this in mind, we shifted our communication strategy and provided transparent, proactive, and supportive updates to our global workforce to ensure every employee felt informed and understood how we planned to support our employees. We also moved our entire workforce into Slack, and really built up our remote community through a variety of events, programs, and offerings. We surveyed our employees often to understand what their needs were, and pivoted again to support mental health and mindfulness as we heard burnout and screen fatigue was a major stressor. Remote work does come with its own set of challenges, but with an engaged workforce who are excited about the work they are doing and supporting one another, fostering a truly global community has been a highlight of this time period.
Check Out The Knot Worldwide’s Careers Page Here!
When did your workforce become remote?
We’ve come a long way, having made the decision in August 2020 to move to permanent remote working, and the best iterations are yet to come. We’ve launched a remote-first handbook, we’re learning how to shift workflows to asynchronous, and doing our best to build in public as we join a thriving global community of remote-first organizations The decisions we are making are based on team member input and feedback and are grounded in our mandate to create a team member experience that makes remote-first a towering strength of our culture.
Can you share with us a few ways in which Vistaprint manages to keep its remote culture rooted in genuine company values?
In a remote-first environment, virtual communication, project management, and knowledge sharing tools give team members the ability to work together and to move work forward asynchronously, across locations and time zones. Physical collaboration spaces will be available for times when needed for face-to-face interactions and in-person collaboration will remain an important part of how we work (and have fun) together.
In what ways is fostering remote culture a fundamentally different challenge than fostering in-office culture?
The global nature of our team is already part of our culture but collaborating across locations and time zones hasn’t always been efficient. In an asynchronous way of working, your location is no longer an advantage or disadvantage. Team members can respond to messages and consume information as they are available, with gaps of communication in between to accommodate a non-linear workday and periods of deep work and focus. This is enabled by moving to a “document everything” culture that makes time zone irrelevant to the ability to collaborate, make decisions, share knowledge and learn.
Check Out Vistaprint’s Careers Page Here!
When did your workforce become remote?
Since Virbela’s launch in 2012, the team has worked in a flexible environment, with many team members working a hybrid or fully remote schedule. In March of 2020, we leveraged our own technology to keep our distributed teams connected in virtual office spaces and have grown from 20 to over 180 employees. In the last year, we have helped dozens of companies, schools, and events thrive in a virtual setting using Virbela virtual worlds.
Can you share with us a few ways in which you manage to keep your remote culture rooted in genuine company values?
As a result of a growing workforce over the last year, Virbela established social and diversity committees to ensure all staff are represented and included. The Virbela Social committee plans monthly staff events like trivia, match games, and holiday parties to build relationships and keep colleagues in touch, and The Diversity Committee meets monthly to discuss Virbela’s D&I initiatives, hiring metrics, and plan diversity-focused events. Virbela also hosts an annual staff culture retreat within the Virbela Open Campus with a focus on employee appreciation and open communication between leadership and teams.
In what ways is fostering remote culture a fundamentally different challenge than fostering in-office culture?
Culture is evolving to be less about what happens in an office and more about what happens between people. Without the right tools, remote workers can feel isolated and disconnected from their company culture. At Virbela, we create always-on virtual communities that allow for spontaneous connections between coworkers, an office space that allows us to continue an open door policy, and a fun environment where everyone is included.
Check Out Virbela’s Careers Page Here!
When did Elsevier’s workforce become remote?
Between March and April 2020
Can you share with us a few ways in which you manage to keep your remote culture rooted in genuine company values?
Elsevier is a global information and analytics company and our culture is rooted in science and health. Because of this, Elsevier recognized the gravity of the coronavirus; and communicated the implications of a pandemic in January 2020. Our substantial employee base in China moved to work-from-home immediately, and by March all staff were encouraged to work from home. Through it all, Elsevier took an empathetic and pragmatic approach in supporting its people and its customers and rapidly harnessed technology to work from home.
In what ways is fostering remote culture a fundamentally different challenge than fostering in-office culture?
Collaborations and nimble teams worked even more closely to address any and all challenges. Employees were never made to feel embarrassed if a child interrupted a zoom meeting, but were applauded for managing through this unprecedented situation. And being a science and health business, Elsevier’s employees not only adapted, but rallied to the cause. Technologists and subject experts across the company and around the world banded together to identify, organize and curate a free novel coronavirus resource center that saw more than 200M downloads in 2020. In some ways, this experience has strengthened our culture, reinforcing the role we play in supporting the scientists, researchers, doctors, and nurses on the frontlines of the pandemic; reminding every employee that we have a part in this noble mission and purpose.
Check Out Elsevier’s Careers Page Here!
When did your workforce become remote?
Our organization was developed from its roots as a unique, globally remote workforce. As a result, we were well-positioned for the pandemic well beforehand and simply continued to operate as a fully remote organization.
Can you share with us a few ways in which you manage to keep your remote culture rooted in genuine company values?
Our organization, despite being globally remote, communicates and coordinates openly and frequently. We consider ourselves a family and support one another as such. We deeply care for one another and operate on the main principle of leaving no one behind. We have created a unique company culture rooted in love.
In what ways is fostering remote culture a fundamentally different challenge than fostering in-office culture?
Unlike in the office where everyone can see and interact with one another, coordinating in a virtual remote setting can have a different set of challenges. Despite these challenges, we have rallied together to converse freely with one another and have developed an open-door mentality, top-down.