Has remote working put an end to ‘company culture’?

They say nothing can replace ‘human connection’ – but what do the experts think, and how does this apply to our working environment? 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Management Today

For many people remote working has become the norm since the start of the pandemic. However, most employees at Social Chain, a marketing agency run by Steven Bartlett, have been working from home since the company was created in 2014. Social Chain founder, podcaster – and newest judge on Dragon’s Den –  Steven Bartlett, reveals he strategically works around two key days of the week; his teamwork go to the office on Monday for planning, and Friday for celebrating. “Outside of that it’s free reign and high trust,” explains Steven. 

Without the two days at the start and end of the week, however, Steven fears workers would treat their company like a match on Tinder, comparing jobs based on bullet points descriptions on LinkedIn. As a result of remote working being part of the foundation of Social Chan, the firm has not suffered at the hands of the ‘Great Resignation’ and the changes have been great. For most companies, however, hybrid working has been a huge culture shock; what do some other CEOs have to say?  

TIM HASSETT, CEO, UNLIMITED

The office is no longer a place where people have to be – it’s now a facility for employees to use and enjoy. This has made us challenge and change the drivers of culture. Remote working has done wonders for work/life balance; instead of spending hours commuting back and forth from the office every day you can invest some of that time into doing brilliant work.

When people do come together to collaborate, the energy and enthusiasm is off the charts – as none of us take this for granted anymore. Flexibility, and doing brilliant work, means better work-life balance and better collaboration – who wouldn’t want that in their culture today?

KATE HESK, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, COGNOMIE

Remote working hasn’t killed company culture, but it has created a potential disconnect. People have become more tuned -n to their personal values over the past two years, with a perceived widening gap between organisational culture and personal values emerging. This has impacted employees’ experience, especially in hybrid and remote environments.

Organisations need to take stock of their values – how they live and breathe these – beyond pasting them into an email signature. It means coming together with employees to discuss and collaborate to identify behaviours that resonate. You can then build these into the business through competency and behaviour frameworks.

MARIKA MESSAGER, FOUNDER AND CEO, CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP

The effect of remote working to the company culture is largely dependent on the culture that currently exists. For organisations with a culture of competition, disconnection and domination, sadly, remote working has amplified these even more; this is because it has taken away the opportunity for people to have face-to-face time and create meaningful connections with each other. Nothing can really replace human connection and organisations need to recognise that this is an important element in the workplace. It is just as important as reaching targets and achieving efficiency.

NAMRATA SANDHU, CEO, VAAYU

Having launched at the height of the pandemic, remote working is how we started, grew, and plan to continue. We have learnt a lot along the way; perhaps the  most important has been hiring for culture fit; this means the people who align with your company values, who you can trust and who are invested in creating a successful business. It’s these people who, as a result, will create a strong, cohesive, company culture.

It is equally important to have clarity on your company’s purpose so everyone is working towards the same goal – for example, our mission is to help decelerate climate change and this has meant building a company culture around that. As a result, we have attracted people who live and breathe sustainability, including those that adopt a no-fly personal policy.