One of the most impressive things about the people at Employment Innovations is the talent that they have outside of the workplace. What we do for our daily jobs, isn’t the only thing we have a talent for.
And given all of this talent waiting to be unleashed, it makes sense to share it. Not only do you get to experience some great talent; we are able to build a community, get to know each other, and have fun in the workplace.
We wouldn’t even know about these hidden talents without our Employment Innovations virtual ‘Talent Show.’ Our organisation has people who can sing, play the guitar, crack a joke, henna tattoo, juggle and fold fitted bedsheets. (The Dummies Guide to Folding a Fitted Bed Sheet will be out soon!) and, as a proud “Remote-First” workplace the benefits of a talent show and other virtual team building exercises are everlasting.
“Culture doesn’t exist within the walls of a business, it begins with the people.” Shane Duffy, Employment Innovations CEO
It isn’t just regular rituals and team building activities, just like our virtual ‘Talent Show’ that fosters a great remote culture. Whether you’re an experienced remote leader, or you’re managing a team for the first time, these are 4 best practices that you can also consider:
1. Uphold Your Mission and Values
A big part of your company culture is your values and mission. They are the core pillars guiding your organization and need to be at the forefront of your employees’ minds to create a high-performing remote culture.
Set a clear and concise way of describing your mission, communicate to your team, add it to your company website and reinforce through the hiring process, and team/company meetings.
This reminds your employees of the importance of what they’re accomplishing together.
2. Trust and Communication
Communication is important in any relationship. Whether it be at home or in a workplace, relationships can only blossom if you have consistent communication for trust to stay strong.
A great remote company culture offers a work environment characterized by trust and mutual respect. It’s important that this trust and communication starts from your leadership team – showing humility, interest and fallibility. Leaders set the expectation that it’s OK to make mistakes, and should be proactive, and promote participation. This then can trickle down to your teams to do the same with each other.
In a remote setting, using a variety of communication channels to reach workers, including formal all-hand meetings, departmental meetings and 1-on-1 meetings, and informal check-in’s during which employees can ask questions or raise concerns, goes a long way in building trust.
3. Set a Process of Collaboration
What does a remote working arrangement entail? Be sure to have a dialog with your teams to assess needs, expectations and what’s reasonable when it comes to remote working.
Set a clear process for communication and collaboration; focusing on understanding the differences in the way people learn and work. A team that is more emotionally connected and engaged work more effectively together.
4. Don’t Forget to Schedule Face-time
Despite being a ‘remote’ workplace, meeting face-to-face is also important for relationship building within your organisation.
If you can, leverage your workplace to bring teams together during onboarding, scheduled regular in-person meetings or summit meetings. Additionally, organising work off-site retreats and events centred on bringing everyone together in one place only adds to the fun, vibrant culture you aim to build.
Face-to-face shouldn’t be the main focus; but having that as an option only adds value to your company culture.
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About Employment Innovations
Employment Innovations is one of Australia’s leading providers of employment services designed to increase productivity and ensure compliance. Its services and solutions include all the tools that every Australian small to medium sized employer needs – including workplace advice, legal services, payroll solutions, migration, human resource management and HR software.
Disclaimer
The information provided in these blog articles is general in nature and is not intended to substitute for professional advice. If you are unsure about how this information applies to your specific situation we recommend you contact Employment Innovations for advice.