Building Culture with a Decentralized Workforce

There have always been challenges with rallying your employee base around a shared vision or a common set of values. Those challenges have been exacerbated by the era of hybrid work, with fewer and fewer companies having their full personnel in the same geographic location each day. When your employees are working remotely, at least part of the time, it presents some real obstacles to culture-building.

What, if anything, can HR leaders do to ensure a strong sense of culture for their dispersed, decentralized teams? In this post, we’ll share a few ideas.

Why Culture Matters

First, it may be helpful to know why building culture amongst a decentralized workforce even matters.

There are a number of benefits to robust culture-building, but we’ll focus on just two. First, the lack of a shared culture can make it more difficult for employees to find common ground for communication and collaboration, which may result in a less effective, less productive team.

Second, culture is a major factor in employee satisfaction and loyalty. Your team members will be more likely to commit to your company if they feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. In this way, a strong culture can help you minimize turnover.

Creating a Process for Centralized Culture

With that said, how can HR teams create a culture in which even remote and hybrid workers can thrive? Consider a few suggestions:

●????? Introduce values early on. Your employees shouldn’t be hearing about the company culture and values for the first time when they’ve been on the job for a few months. Instead, you should introduce these principles during the recruiting process, sharing your cultural touchpoints with potential hires and asking them for their reactions.

●????? Improve the onboarding process. The onboarding process itself offers ample opportunity to expose new employees to your company’s values. For example, providing chances to meet key leaders, and to discuss the company culture in a one-on-one setting, can be huge.

●????? Provide clarity from day one. Make sure every new hire is provided with a written statement of your culture and values, and that you connect the dots between the culture and their particular role. Ensure that each employee knows from the outset how their work contributes to the big picture.

●????? Plan ahead. As you bring new employees into the fold, be planning ways to engage with them beyond the first few weeks. Create a routine of team-building events (even if they are remote), check-ins, and cultural refreshers that extend beyond the initial 90 days of employment.

Create a Culture That Brings Employees Together

Even if your employees are working from different locations, a shared culture can unite them. Follow these guidelines to ensure your company culture remains central. And with any questions, reach out to FullHR directly.