
The Importance of Work Culture in a Hybrid Environment
Businesses that have strong company cultures have the potential to quadruple their revenue growth.
Company culture is one of the most important factors for businesses to consider if they want to remain competitive. However, it can be hard to improve culture, especially when you’re working with a hybrid team.
Read on to learn more about the importance of a supportive work environment, especially for hybrid teams that face unique challenges. You’ll also find out how to improve the culture at your company and create a better situation for yourself and your employees.
What Is Company Culture?
These days, discussions about company culture are very common. However, a lot of people don’t even know how to define company culture, much less make a plan to improve it.
Put simply, company culture describes the behaviours and attitudes of a business and its employees. It’s reflected in the way team members interact with one another, their values, and their decisions.
Culture influences all elements of a business, including the work environment, the company’s mission, and the managers’ leadership styles.
Every company has a culture. If you don’t take the time to clearly define it, though, others will do it for you, and you (and your employees) might not be happy with the result.
Benefits of a Positive Work Culture
A positive work culture yields a lot of benefits for everyone on your team, from assistants and junior employees to you and your managers. Here are some of the most noteworthy reasons why it’s worth it to create a supportive, positive culture at your business:
Increased Employee Engagement
Improvements in company culture result in increased employee engagement, motivation, and productivity. Put simply, when employees like the place they work and feel supported by their co-workers and supervisors, they do better work and are more invested in their tasks and assignments.
Increased Employee Retention
Not only are employees more engaged and motivated when their employer provides a positive company culture, but they also are more inclined to stick around long-term.
It’s much more expensive for businesses to recruit new employees than it is to retain the ones they have, so anything you can do to reduce turnover is worth considering — including making improvements to company culture.
Attract Better Talent
Even the best companies have to hire new employees from time to time.
When you have a positive company culture and are known for supporting all team members (whether they’re working from home or in the office), you’ll have an easier time filling vacancies and won’t have to worry about them lasting for weeks or months at a time. People will be lining up to work for your company.
Better Company Image
Your company will look better to everyone — potential new hires, customers, and investors — when you make workplace culture a priority. In addition to making it easier for you to hire new talent, consumers will also be more eager to buy your products or services, and you may even have an easier time attracting investors who want to support positive businesses.
Increased Customer Satisfaction
How does internal culture increase customer satisfaction? Well, when your team is a strong unit, they’ll be better equipped to produce excellent work, create impressive products, and deliver exceptional customer service.
The result is happy customers who will be eager to stick around and continue giving you their business. They’ll be more likely to refer others to your company as well.
Increased Revenue
When you combine increased employee engagement, increased employee retention, a better company image, and increased customer satisfaction, you get increased sales and increased company revenue. If you want to set your business up for long-term growth and maximize earnings, focusing on workplace culture is a must.
Common Hybrid Workplace Culture Challenges
It’s hard enough to create a positive company culture at a standard office. When you’re working with a remote team or hybrid team, though, it can be even more difficult.
The following are some common challenges you might be facing, especially if you’ve recently switched to a hybrid work environment:
Difficulty Collaborating
When some employees work from home and some work remotely, it can be hard for them to collaborate on projects. Not only are there potential technical difficulties to worry about, but some team members may also hesitate to speak up or share ideas with employees that they don’t know well because they’ve never met in person.
Lack of Balance During Meetings
Team meetings can be tricky in a hybrid environment, too. Remote workers may be hesitant to speak up, or their internet connections and webcams may make it difficult for them to do so.
Lack of Communication with Management
Hybrid team managers may struggle to stay in contact with remote workers compared to in-house workers. It’s easy to walk down the hall and chat with someone in the office, but it may be a bit more difficult to arrange a video meeting or phone call.
Differences in Employee Experience
Remote workers may miss out on some of the perks of being an employee at your company if they’re not working in-house. For example, they won’t get to participate in catered team lunches or even something as simple as water cooler chat.
These differences can diminish employee experience for remote workers and may lead to a decrease in engagement and job satisfaction.
How to Improve Workplace Culture in a Hybrid Environment
If any of these obstacles sound familiar to you, don’t worry. With a few changes, you can improve your company culture and create a better work experience for all of your employees, whether they work in the office or from home:
Emphasize the Company’s Mission and Values
If it’s been a while since you last talked to your team about the company’s mission and values, now is the perfect time to do so. Revisit what it is that separates your business from others in the industry and highlight the values you want to be reflected in the work you and your employees do.
While you’re resharing these points with your team, reflect on them for yourself as well. Ask if there’s anything that needs to change in the way you run your business, especially now that half of your employees are working remotely.
Prioritize Communication
Communication issues are some of the most common ones that interfere with work culture, particularly in a hybrid environment.
When part of your team is working remotely and others are working in-office, you need to go above and beyond when it comes to communicating. For example, you may need to make video calls the default so that everyone can see one another, or perhaps you can establish set communication channels so that nobody gets left out of important discussions by accident.
Schedule More 1:1s
Schedule more 1:1 meetings, too. This is especially important for your hybrid employees.
Regular check-ins can help you keep a finger on the pulse of how engaged and happy your team members are. This also helps you to establish strong relationships so that, if something does go wrong or someone does have a problem, they will feel comfortable sharing with you.
Celebrate Wins
Go above and beyond to shout out your team members and celebrate when something good happens.
When people are recognized for their hard work, they’ll be more likely to stick with your company long-term. They’ll also be more engaged and invested in the work they’re currently doing.
Recognition is an incredible motivator, whether it comes in the form of shout-outs in the team newsletter or a simple “good job” during your next meeting.
Host Virtual Team-Building Events
It may be hard for your remote employees to get to in-person team-building events, especially if they don’t live locally. Don’t let them feel left out, though.
Hosting virtual team-building events allows everyone to participate, no matter where they’re located. They give everyone a chance to get to know one another better, too.
Invest in the Right Equipment
Investing in proper equipment will make it easier for everyone on the team to stay connected, no matter where they’re working.
Make sure all of your employees have access to reliable internet connections, quality webcams, and team management or collaboration software to help with communication and document sharing. These tools might be expensive upfront, but they will provide great returns in the long run.
Prioritize Ergonomics for All
In addition to investing in quality tech, make sure you’ve also invested in proper office furniture for all employees, including those working from home.
Everyone deserves to be comfortable and physically supported during the workday. This can help them to be more productive and engaged during meetings and while working on their own projects.
Improve Work Culture Today
A positive and supportive company culture is essential if you want to improve your business’s image, attract talented employees, retain your current team members, and increase revenues.
If you’ve been struggling since switching to a hybrid work environment, it’s never too late to make some positive changes. Start by following the tips outlined above to create a plan that will set your company up for long-term success.