Company culture is one of the most critical elements of a business, and it reflects the work environment and how employees feel about their company.
Till now, there was a set pattern to our workplace culture. But 58% of employees across the globe expressed dissatisfaction with the existing culture. And as they return to the office, they certainly want this dissatisfaction to be addressed.
With the hybrid model becoming the future of work, organizational culture is undergoing a massive change. In a recent interview, Spotify’s HR executive Katarina Berg said, “Culture doesn’t go away when offices are emptier.”
In an interview with Harvard Business Review, ManpowerGroup executive Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic quoted, “It is harder for organizations to connect with people and connect them through a homogeneous cultural experience.”
Hybrid work culture is characterized by its employees scattered across different locations. Therefore, creating a unified employee experience might become a challenge. Leaders need to create hybrid work model that nurtures a culture of togetherness. But how to do this? Well, this blog highlights five such ways to achieve so.
First, Understand Employee Experience
Employee experience is a systematic way of approaching the needs of employees and creating a proper work environment. Now, most organizations think that traditional levers like leaves or occasional employee engagement work most of the time. But now, people work across scattered locations. There are full-time on-site employees, and many are still working from home.
So expecting to create similar experiences for remote teams and on-site workers is foolish to a fault. Companies will need to understand that employee experience goes beyond these general perks. It is about building trust amongst the team members.
2020 showed us that if companies want to survive through a difficult situation, they will have to engage their employees in the long term. While face-to-face team-building activities are great, companies will have to initiate a sense of belonging.
Fortunately, 75% of CEOs are now supporting the notion of improving employee experience. So, how do you create a culture for your hybrid teams?
1. Put your focus on collaboration
Collaboration is the thread that holds a hybrid workplace together. The focus should be on how to work and solve the problems together. Our culture has always been about sharing knowledge and collaborating to achieve common goals.
With on-site and remote workers, collaboration can be achieved through regular meetings. This can be done either virtually or face to face depending on the critical aspect of the meeting.
For instance, you can ask your entire team to visit the office for a brainstorming session. By working together, employees can find purpose and a sense of belonging. So, create a culture that promotes collaboration at all times.
2. Undertake group events
Other than meetings, have your employees gather for group events. This is a great initiative to let people blow off some steam. The idea is to bring people together. Whether you do it physically or virtually depends on you; however, your motive here should be to encourage your employees to talk to each other outside work.
When you create a sense of community in the office, employees work harder. In a hybrid workplace, people rarely get to meet each other. When you organize a group event, you open opportunities to share experiences.
Also, it is critical that all employees, regardless of their position, participate in such activities. It shows that everyone is willing to achieve a common objective. This is critical if you are trying to build culture.
3. Checkup on your employees regularly
Employees engaged in remote work have often complained of isolation. They have highlighted that they feel cut off from their on-site counterparts on numerous occasions. This can be a hindrance to your company culture. So, check up on your employees regularly.
Employee well-being is directly related to productivity. If an employee is suffering from any issues, try to find out what it is. Sometimes, just listening to the problems can be a huge morale boost.
Conduct frequent surveys to find out what your employees feel about the workplace. Learn if they want changes to the existing model. This is the best way to engage with the employees. And when employees feel engaged, their productivity will automatically shoot up. Also, by interacting with the team members, you foster a solid hybrid workplace culture.
4. Focus on overall health and wellness
While checking up on employees, leaders should also focus on the overall health and wellness of the employees. The last two years have been difficult for all of us. Stress and anxiety have been at an all-time high. More people have reported suffering from depression and other mental illnesses. So, physical well-being and ensuring mental wellness are just as important.
You can provide tools and platforms that help employees manage their stress. Have weekly sessions where employees can share their experiences, fears, and problems.
Create a work environment where the employees feel that the leadership listens to their problems and engages in their overall wellness. This is the key to creating a healthy hybrid culture.
5. Show that you are fair
If your employees feel that there is no equality and justice in the organization, they will be quick to lose their motivation. So, what does this equality mean? Well, your remote employees can feel like their voices are unheard. And your on-site employees may think that they have less flexibility over their work schedules.
A hybrid work model can be quick to give rise to such trepidations. Therefore, you need to show that you are fair in dealing with such situations. To build strong hybrid workplace culture, you need to communicate the expected outcomes. Setup the “haves” and “have nots” intentionally.
For instance, if certain employees come to the office more than others, you need to tell them they are not favorites. You need to establish yourself as a fair leader. This will harbor a feeling of equality and justice.
To Conclude
At its root, building company culture in a hybrid workplace is still similar to the old ways. The key is to foster culture and continually follow them to ensure that everything moves in the right direction.
A hybrid workplace solution can help you create a strong hybrid workplace culture. You can try out WorkInSync. An end-to-end hybrid workplace system, it offers various features like desk booking, employee scheduling, meeting room management, and collaboration for a seamless hybrid workplace.
You can opt for a demo today to learn more.
