How to Create a Great Remote Workplace Culture

Many employees have grown accustomed to working 100% remotely because of COVID-19. And according to lots of news lately, that could be here to stay. These estimates predict that 25-30% of the workforce will be working from home regularly by the end of 2021.

Why? Lots of leaders have realized that their employees can be engaged and productive while working from home. And it makes good financial sense to many businesses. According to research from Global Workplace Analytics, having an employee work from home 50% of the time can save an employer $11,000 a year in increased productivity, lower real estate costs and reduced absenteeism.

And one of the things that COVID-19 has taught workers is that a more flexible workplace can be very beneficial: no commuting, more time with family and no need to get dressed up to go to the office!

Whatever the reasons your employees are going to stay home to work going forward, here’s how to create a beneficial remote workplace culture.

1. Foster psychological safety.

   Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson defined it as ‘‘a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up.’’

   Remind your team that you’re there for them, whether that’s an open-door policy or an anonymous survey to collect feedback on what’s going well and what’s not. Have a central place to put employee resources around mental health and support systems.

   And if you hear about bullying or sexual harassment from an employee, acknowledge it and deal with it swiftly. Seek legal guidance right away to protect your people and your organization.

   Learn more about my 275+ web-based training courses for employees, managers, coaches and business owners on everything from leading remote teams to sexual harassment and bullying to employee safety and diversity in the workplace.

2. Focus on productivity and performance management plans.

   Many employers relaxed their performance management plans during COVID-19, choosing instead to measure employee health and well-being. But these check-ins are essential for both staff and leadership, so it’s time to bring them back if you’ve put them off.

   Some of the ways you can monitor productivity and performance if people are working from home regularly include:

   • Daily check-ins or weekly/bi-weekly 1:1s via video conference to see where employees are at, and what they’re working on.
   • Designing performance management plans and processes that let you inspect what you expect. When workers help create their goals and know they will be held accountable they are more likely to achieve the goals that make your business—and them—successful.
   • Developing clear job descriptions for each position so that every task belongs to someone on your team with enough detail to provide them with direction, train new hires how to do the job and hold them accountable while leaving you free to update them when your organization’s needs change.

   Employers in the U.S. are permitted to monitor employees’ activities on company equipment. Some companies are using software to keep tabs on things like emails and keystrokes. Some software even takes screenshots to show managers exactly what their people are looking at.

   Now, this is a huge step to take and I do not recommend it unless there are extenuating circumstances, and should be a last resort if you’re not getting the results you need. Employees surveyed report being both “incredibly stressed out” by the constant monitoring and also afraid to speak up.

3. Offer routine security awareness and training.

   With remote work comes great responsibility, for both employers and employees. As people log into systems from the comfort of their home, they’re exposing company devices to bigger risks from cybercriminals.

   Ongoing security training can be the best way to ensure that employees who are working from home regularly are not just following protocols, but understand why they’re important. They’ll feel more confident if they’re getting training around things like:

   • Choosing strong passwords.
   • Never leaving a device unattended.
   • Not clicking on links in an email, even if it comes from a supposedly trusted source.
   • The vulnerability of the internet of things (IoT), which includes things like smart thermostats and smart security cameras.

4. Take the time to onboard.

   It can be incredibly challenging even for tech-savvy workers to start a new job remotely. If you are hiring during this time, give new remote employees some TLC.

   Let them know what is expected when it comes to their schedule and how the processes work since this might be the first time they’ve ever worked from home. Do they need to be on camera during video calls? What is the dress code and work hours? How will their performance be measured?

   Ask them how they’re doing after their first day, week and month. It can also be helpful to assign a “buddy” in the same department that they can talk to. Better yet: onboard in groups so that new staff feel part of the team.

   No matter how you adjust your onboarding plans, give everyone a clear picture of what their initial training will look like 30, 60, or 90 days later.

I provide more tips in my blog Managing Your Remote Employees—Now & After COVID-19. And remember that it’s an ongoing process, and creating a remote workplace culture is a learning experience for both leadership and staff.

Take this as an opportunity to engage your people and encourage productivity—maybe even more so than when they were in the office!