The Three C’s of Culture
Many of us have been working remotely full-time now for well over a year. Working alone can create a feeling of isolation for employees and that they are no longer a part of a company culture. This can pose a significant challenge for organizations when it comes to preserving their culture. Culture is important because it defines and aligns us through a set of values and beliefs. Keeping those behaviors that support our company values alive is critical for achieving deliverables.
Foster Connection
Trust is key because trust becomes a building block for company culture to remain in place. Organizations that I have had the pleasure of working with throughout the pandemic have put employee wellbeing at the forefront as well. That means maintaining a psychologically safe work environment that regardless of physical distance won’t compromise connection or create emotional distance between employees. Distance should not manifest fear of expression. Focusing on teamwork and having team members get to know each other will help foster collaboration. When people are connected to or like each other, they want to succeed together in doing a good job. When employees are also aware of each other’s personal circumstances and challenges, they tend to pull together more than ever.
Be a Great Communicator
We also want to showcase different personalities. To do that there needs to be regular interactions with employees. Keeping the lines of communication open and people connected through daily participation in group discussions will help a great deal in maintaining cohesive teams. It is all too easy to feel isolated, distant, not involved, or even unsupported in a virtual environment. There needs to be a conscious effort to foster frequent connections.
Weave in Contribution for Social Impact
Throughout the pandemic, many leaders have been looking for creative and fun ways to bring teams together for virtual team-building events. These kinds of events are so helpful in maintaining company culture and connectivity in a remote working environment. A powerful and meaningful way to bring people together can also be to weave in a shared purpose and contribution to the community as it can promote unity within the team.
For example, Phin, a branded charitable giving service for companies, is out to generate $100 million dollars in social impact through their creative purpose-driven workplace team building activity offerings. They help companies demonstrate how much they care about employees, customers, and the community through social impact. In November of 2021, they launched The Climate Quest virtual escape room that engages teams in puzzle solving to support real climate-related causes. Providing this kind of meaningful offering can foster team cohesion and ultimately create a space where staff truly feels good about where they work.
I will be writing more about these important workplace concerns along with my passion, mental health and well-being in the work place. If you think it might be worth reading, please follow me so that you know when my next article gets published.
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