Strategies for Rebuilding the (Hybrid) Office's Culture

Key Highlight

Start by asking office-based and remote colleagues to identify one communication or participation difficulty. Choose a relevant approach from the six strategies below, assign an owner and set a review date to discuss what to keep or adjust.

Hybrid Rebuilding - Office Culture

Organizational culture—the generally accepted beliefs and practices underpinning how people collaborate—is "what makes office life meaningful for many."

1. Organizations face the challenge of providing employees with meaningful work experiences outside the workplace as the workplace becomes less defined.
2. Creating a collaborative and supportive culture is essential to employee satisfaction, talent retention, and organizational success, even though it can be challenging when workers are dispersed. 

Thus, it's becoming critical in characterizing the new "typical" for organizations as they invite back workers.

‍Office Culture Is More Important Than Ever

After the pandemic, 54% of employees want to continue working from home, according to Pew Research Center. Establishing an inclusive workplace culture is now more important than ever for employers due to the growing number of remote workers. It holds everyone in the organization together, and employees cannot form relationships with one another or loyalty to the company without it.

Building company culture must therefore be a daily commitment that businesses make a priority. In a work environment following the pandemic, this is the most effective strategy for meeting the shifting cultural expectations of employees.

The greatest obstacle is that you may not be able to use the same strategies to establish a new culture in the hybrid or remote workplace.

"Maintaining a positive and supportive company culture while everyone is remote has taken some adjustments," says Audrey-Maude Côté, human resources manager at Diff Agency, when discussing the management style of her company. We have had to develop novel and inventive methods for fostering community from a distance because we do not have a physical office.

The HR departments and business leaders are in charge of setting up a culture that encourages employees who work in the office and those who work from home to connect. The company can benefit from the following pointers.

Tips for (Re)building Company Culture in the New Workplace

Employees require supportive workplace cultures that allow them to thrive at work, regardless of where their "office" is situated, after experiencing many workplace changes over the last year and a half. 

1 - Be Deliberate About Tech Use

Remote workers frequently experience feelings of alienation from coworkers and the company.  Building your company's culture and overcoming disengagement depend on open communication lines.

Technology Advancements 

Technology is the key to information sharing when employees are dispersed, as demonstrated by the widespread use of communication tools like Slack and Zoom. However, now that remote work processes are more advanced, it may be time to alter the tools used in the culture-building process.

OnBoarding 

Onboarding should be the first step in understanding the company's culture, and technology makes this possible, especially for remote workers. By hosting remote culture workshops and onboarding programs that bring new hires together with veteran workers, use communication tools to cultivate a sense of community among all new hires.

Meeting Boundaries

Use digital calendars to display availability and time zones. Agree on response expectations and meeting-free periods with your team. Outside agreed working hours, use asynchronous updates that colleagues can read and respond to when they return.

2 - Create Committees to Engage Employees

Creating a strong workplace culture comes from uniting employees. 

Here are tips for a strong and high-efficiency workplace to improve its "employee culture":

1. Open Communication 
2. Empowering Employees 
3. Always Clarify and Communicate Values 
4. Reinforce Positive Behavior 
5. Collect Feedback 

Employee-led committees tasked with resolving issues within the company are one strategy for fostering connections between office workers and those working outside of the building. Employees who work from home can participate in discussions and decisions that directly impact the business by joining committees. Even though they aren't working there, this gives them a sense of place in the workplace.

According to Sara Slusarski, HR business partner at Oxford Companies in Ann Arbour, Michigan, "forming committees has been beneficial to us."

"We added a Diversity & Inclusion Council and a CREW Connection Committee this year to bring staff members from all over the organization together to solve problems and discuss them. It's been a great way to keep in touch and work toward common objectives."

3 - Enlist Leaders to Connect With Employees

Leadership and culture are inseparable. Through their words and deeds, employees look to company leaders to convey and demonstrate culture.

The development of a company's culture relies heavily on conversations with senior leaders. Senior management should be encouraged to take the time to casually connect with employees, both in person and online. Employees should be able to drop in for informal conversations during open-door hours set up by managers. Facilitating these connections with leaders can help off-site employees connect with the company and its culture.

4 - Solicit Feedback and Implement Suggestions

Ask office-based and remote colleagues what helps them connect, what obstructs participation and one change they would like to try. Use a survey or virtual town hall, and offer a private written response option. Group the feedback into themes without naming respondents. Choose one action, assign an owner and set a review date. Report the decision and any open items back to staff, then revisit the action on the agreed date.

5 - Host On-site and Virtual Company Networking Events

Offer optional quizzes, karaoke, pizza parties or holiday get-togethers during agreed working hours. Let remote colleagues take part, not just watch, or arrange a separate virtual option. Vary time slots within those hours and offer an optional asynchronous activity, such as a quiz to complete later, when attendance is impractical.

6 - Send Out Regular Newsletters

The more employees know the company's operations, the more they can relate. Use newsletters to share company-wide updates.

What are newsletters used for?

Newsletters can provide 

• Project updates
• Updates from leaders
• Celebrations of company and employee successes
• Summaries of important news

Most importantly, a newsletter can be used to share content about the culture that makes employees feel like they are part of the company.

Look for ways to shape all content so that it is as relevant as possible to the company's culture and values and is focused on the employees. These should ideally be sent out regularly—either weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly. The goal is to keep in touch with all employees regularly so that everyone, no matter where they are, feels like they are a part of the company and its culture.

Key Learnings:

Organizations must think outside the box to rebuild company culture in a post-pandemic environment where the term "office" has become more fluid. Even though more employees work from home, you need to find ways to connect with them and make them feel like they are a part of the culture. How well you do this will determine whether or not you succeed in re-establishing your company's culture.

Businesses can choose their culture and let unspoken actions define it or actively shape their culture to achieve success. Many businesses will find themselves at a turning point where they have a real chance to create the culture they need for the future as they reconnect their workforce.

The Litespace solution, designed to empower hybrid teams and rebuild business culture, will aid you in achieving all previous suggestions and boosting your hybrid culture!