How to Stay Connected in a Remote Work World

Knowing how to build a company culture remotely is tough. It’s been more than two years since that fateful day in March where the United States and the rest of the world shut down due to COVID-19.

Since then, the way our world runs has changed drastically, especially when it comes to remote work. By the end of 2020, 71% of employed Americans were working from home.

At RED66, we believe there are pros and cons to this new remote work world we’re living in - one pro includes the ability to hire employees who may not live in our city, widening the prospective talent pool. 

However, one of the biggest challenges of remote work that we and many businesses face, is the struggle to cultivate a strong company culture. 

But don’t be discouraged. You don’t have to let poor or lacking company culture be the reason you lose good employees.

Below, we outline the ways our company has managed to foster (and maintain) a solid company culture – ways that your business can adopt immediately.  

How to Build Company Culture Remotely: Today’s Ideal Work Environment

According to a recent poll by Biteable.com, the ideal work environment for most employees in this day and age is a flexible, hybrid work schedule. At least 50% of employees prefer the ability to spend 2-3 days in the office per week. 

While it may not be necessary for everyone on your team to come into the office every day, it’s  evident that working virtually will never completely replace the experience of gathering together in person and connecting with each other. 

So the question remains  - how can you build company culture remotely? Can you maintain a strong company culture in the workplace when you work from home? 

Company Culture at RED66

At RED66, we have members on our team from all over the state of Michigan. Even though we may not see each other in person every day, we work hard to make sure we create an environment where everyone feels important and connected to each other. 

Wonder how we do it? Here are a few tips:

Hybrid Work Environment

We take pride in our flexibility when it comes to remote work. We’re all human, and some days, we just need to work in our PJs - and that’s okay! 

While some of us have to work remotely full-time, our home-base office is available to anyone who has the want or need to come in. 

Without the pressure of required in-office days, our team can take care of business in an environment of trust and productivity.

Weekly Team Meetings

Every week, we meet via video conference to discuss the tasks that each team member is facing that week. 

Every employee, from our president and founder to our interns, must provide a report - this gives everyone the space to speak, including those who may not always speak up in a regular meeting. 

We take this opportunity to ask each other for help, get advice, as well as catch up with the “wallpaper” of each other's lives - what is going on outside of work that could have an effect on us throughout the week. 

Strategic Accountability Chart

Our company is structured by account teams. With employees spread all throughout the state, we purposefully structured our teams by talent and location. 

Our team members that work on the east side of the state work together with the same clients.So, even though they’re  far from our home office in Grand Rapids, they’re close to each other, providing the opportunity for them to regularly connect in person. 

Quarterly in-person Gatherings

At the end of every quarter, we all gather together as a team in-person at our main office to go over the objectives we hope to accomplish as individuals and as a team over the upcoming quarter. 

Additionally, we make sure to take advantage of having the whole group together and get out of the office. 

Whether it’s bowling, breakroom therapy, or just a dinner out, taking the time to get to know each other outside of work creates strong connections and lasting relationships. This in turn cultivates a positive work environment - even when we all have to go back home.

We Run on EOS

For the past two years, RED66 Marketing has been running on EOS and it has changed the way we operate as a business. With this program and the help of our EOS Implementer, Barb, we created and thoroughly communicated a crystal clear vision and both short and long term goals for our company. 

With the use of our EOS practices such as weekly L10 Meetings and development of personal and company rocks, we’ve created a solid team that’s encouraged to communicate, problem-solve, and participate in important operational discussions of the business.

We’re Not Perfect - But It Works for Us

Positive company culture and employee retention is at the forefront of most business leaders minds today. However, with the abrupt and seemingly permanent change to the remote work environment, the ability to foster the feeling of connected-ness has become an even bigger challenge. 

As we believe that there are pros and cons in this situation, we encourage you to take advantage of this “new normal.” 

We have the opportunity to create new rules that work for our individual businesses and employees. What we are doing works for us – what works for you?