How to Retain Company Culture when Remote Position Employees are on Board? The company has to work to build a cohesive, well-articulated culture and framework within which all can work without restricting their creativity

With the advent of globalization, the work culture is experiencing a paradigm shift. Research says that with the work-from-home options being so lucrative, full-time employees are also quitting their jobs to opt for work from remote positions, even though that might tantamount to pay them relatively lesser. Workforce employed in remote positions signifies lesser turnover rates, stability and the engagement of highly productive and talented manpower. Hiring employees from across the globe means hiring the best of talents with minimum time wasted in commutation and meetings and working past the diverse time zones as well. The employees work with full dedication and endeavour never to miss a deadline.

The next question that arises is how does a company retain its long term goal and how does it spread a uniform message to all the customers around the globe. To answer this predicament the company has to follow a uniform code of conduct across all sections. A list of various to-dos has been curated which is sure to keep the remote staff well engaged and committed to the corporate culture and end-goals.

1. Emphasize on the Broader Corporate Goals

The wider corporate goals should be uniformly prioritized and highlighted while recruiting any staff, be it full-time office staff or remote position employees. All should be well–oriented and acquainted with the corporate culture and policies so that they act and work within the broader corporate objectives.

"Making employees aware of the company policies and work culture is the key to success. Each employee should be well apprised of what the company wants and the policies must be indoctrinated across all communication platforms that the company uses," says Sakun Aggarwal, CEO of Jungle Hut Resorts.

2. Two-way Communication and Feedback

The company should adopt an open, two-way communication where the newly anointed employee can seek or give suggestions and can be comfortable to render the best of results and productivity. The employee working from a remote position must have access to all information required and must not be alienated from broader corporate policy changes if any. The more accessible and transparent the company policies, the more would be the efficiency of employees.

Ayush Jain, founder of MyStudyDestination.com suggests, "The company should have casual communication channels, more like Skype and Slack, so that the employees working from far and wide can easily connect and engage. The company has to be open to any kind of feedback from all employees so that the whole staff can work in unison with each other." Sakun also endorses open communication lines and easy accessibility of the management.

3. Amicable Employee Induction

Any new employee being induced in the company should be inducted with a proper introduction to the company communication channels. The employee should be introduced with his strengths and qualifications mentioned along with the designation allotted. This will help other employees work in sync with the newly appointed person in a congenial manner.

"The new employee should be made familiar with company goals and be introduced to the company workers, both working from the office as well as remote positions. The employee should be introduced to all so that the working of the company is smoother and frictionless," harps Anoop Kumar, founder of Yorker Travels.

4. Time-Off from Work

Consolidating the team building exercise goes a long way in building stable and healthy relationships in the company. Having an all-employees coffee meet once in a while where all the employees can get together and celebrate the company culture and discuss ideas helps in building the company ideals and setting targets.

"A bi-annual gala employees-meet or taking all the employees for a weekend holiday can be beneficial for the company relationships and communicating the company culture to all the employees. It builds company-patriotism in all the employees," adds Sachin Aggarwal, MD of Share India Pvt. Ltd.

The Bottom Line:

The technological advancements have removed the barriers between the office employees and those working from far away. The company has to work to build a cohesive, well-articulated culture and framework within which all can work without restricting their creativity. The company has to specify well-established communication channels so that employees can work and support each other to build a harmonious work culture.