One of the most difficult aspects of shifting the workplace into the virtual realm of video chatting and instant messages is preventing feelings of isolation among your employees. Before the pandemic, employees relied on more traditional gatherings like team meetings, company activities, and other social events that took place in person to socialize themselves with each other. Even when company-wide social activities weren’t scheduled, a big part of a company’s culture revolved around employees’ ability to create organic relationships while chatting in the breakroom or meeting for lunch. As more organizations shift to virtual and remote work, company culture is becoming more difficult to maintain and easier to deprioritize, which makes it easier for employees to feel cut off and alone.
There are several problems with failing to integrate company culture into the virtual workforce, but chief among them is the negative impact this can have on new hires. Organizations that are remote lack the ability they once had to welcome a new hire to a breakroom full of smiling employees, so it’s time to think about how the virtual environment can be used to prioritize a positive company culture.
Though it may require a bit of creative thinking, the virtual environment lends itself to several options for maintaining company culture. The trick is to revisit the core of your cultural activities and what they are trying to accomplish for your employees. For example, if your organization is known for giving away great prizes, you can organize an online trivia contest or hold virtual scavenger hunts for your employees. Activities like this tend to work better online because employees have the space they need to get creative with their participation.
For a more reserved virtual workforce, company culture can be maintained through messaging platforms like Teams, Slack, or Discord by creating chat channels that are relevant to your employees’ interests. These channels are great places for employees to connect over common interests and are ideal for new hires to make those organic social connections while working online.
Those who desire social activities outside of the office couldn’t ask for a better time to seek virtual options. Online gaming has evolved to more than just a geek culture niche, and games like Among Us and Jackbox have become extremely popular. Of course, organizing online gaming may not be the right fit for every organization, but those looking to expand their repertoire of virtual social activities will be impressed by the intuitive design and casual nature of today’s multiplayer games.
With a few virtual activities planned and scheduled, organizations should appoint community-minded employees to a virtual mentorship role to help preserve a sense of company culture. Employees in this role can check in with teams to make sure they’re getting what they need from a cultural standpoint and can be incredibly valuable with making new hires feel like they’re becoming part of the team. Virtual mentors also have the unique ability to take the pulse of your virtual workforce to see what new channels or online activities would best suit their needs.
Regardless of your adaptation strategy, don’t forget to keep your organization’s values at the forefront of the transition. Invest some time and resources into online activities and capabilities that reflect your core values and show your virtual workforce how important your company culture is. With a bit of delegation and outside-the-box thinking, shifting your company culture online is just a mouse-click away.