How to build a strong team culture for your globally-distributed remote team

Introduction

The perks of managing a globally distributed remote team include higher productivity, a diverse workforce, less stress and increased organizational turnover. However, building a healthy company culture is usually challenging, especially when the organization’s employees are far away. 

Company culture is one of the essential factors in running a successful organization. It is always a function of the company’s values, experiences, and modes of operation. But according to several definitions, the crucial metric of culture is its ability to remain dynamic and evolve with the changing times. However, for global organizations with employees from different locations with mixed time zones, diverse cultures and values, it is becoming increasingly challenging for global companies to imbibe a universally accepted culture. 

This article highlights everything you need to know about how to build culture in the workplace for your remote team.

Understanding company culture

At its core, company culture is the shared ethos of an organization. It involves the ways things get done in an organization. In most cases, the company culture is defined by the organization’s core values, the vision of the founders, and the company’s experiences. 

More than ever before, building a healthy organizational culture is crucial. According to Builtin, 46% of job seekers cite healthy company culture as a critical factor for applying to an organization. It has also been discovered that a positive company culture leads to increased employee productivity, employee engagement and a higher corporate turnover rate. 

With the steady growth of remote work globally, company culture will always be a crucial determinant in the success of an organization and will dictate an organization’s employee retention rate.

Risks involved in having an unhealthy company culture

While it might seem like it is not such a big deal to have a nonexistent or terrible company culture, having a disgruntled employee will have an astounding negative impact on other employees’ morale, productivity and commitment to the organization. In today’s talent pool, job quality and satisfaction matter more than salary. 60% of workers in the United States agree to accept a job they love that pays half of their current salary over a job they hate that pays more.

Other risks associated with a poor company culture include the following:

• Reduced teamwork and a deterioration in employee relationships, especially in a globally distributed team with no physical interactions.
• The reduced turnover rate among some of your productive remote workers.
• An unhealthy company culture can lead to a lack of company direction and increased frustration among workers.

How to build team culture in a remote workplace

Cultivating a strong company culture in a globally-distributed remote team is as crucial as every other core organizational function. Here are a few tried and tested ways to build an exceptional company culture for your remote team.

Establish a clear company mission statement and values

One of the primary ways of establishing a solid company culture is by creating and strictly adhering to the organization’s mission and value statements. In fact, one of the reasons for having these organizational vision goals is to enable a unique work character and culture. 

With an efficient HR administration, these mission and value statements must be shared by all employees. By so doing, the organization can operate with a shared belief and attitude to work. 

Carry out effective and efficient onboarding practice

Onboarding is a crucial practice in every organization as it acclimatizes employees to the company’s culture and gives them concise insights into their job roles. A proper onboarding practice involves sharing the company’s values with the recruits and introducing them to their team members for familiarization. 

If an organization carries out an onboarding process correctly, it will grasp the company’s culture and feel like they are part of the organization.

Get to know your employees

One of the best ways to have a cohesive team in a remote organization is to get to know the employees beyond the surface level. Once there is a relationship with the employees, it becomes easier to communicate the company’s culture.

There are a few ways to get to know the employees better, one such way is to invest in mentorships. Other ways include organizing regular team bonding meetings and one-on-one sessions with employees.

Review company culture regularly

What defines culture is its dynamism and ability to evolve with changing times. Organizations need to review, update and improve their company culture regularly. One of the ways to do this is to productively engage employees, receive feedback from employees, and act on the feedback report.

Building a global remote team with Skuad

Remote work offers numerous benefits for organizations. But, it comes with new challenges. However, partnering with a global employment and payroll platform enables organizations to navigate remote work challenges easily. 

Building a culture in the workplace is one of the significant challenges globally-distributed remote teams face. Still, with a global employment and payroll platform like Skuad, organizations can focus on their core organizational duties while Skuad handles all employment-related activities on their behalf. 

Skuad handles the entire employment lifecycle for organizations so they can scale their business operations with an efficient HR administration, reduced employment costs, and less stress. To know more about Skuad, book a demo today.