Tech can sustain a healthy company culture in the age of remote work

We can be in unanimous agreement over the fact that work is not just about productivity and profits, but also about accomplishing consequential missions and standing up for worthy transformations. In this regard, it is crucial to note that it is work culture that elevates an organisation from being an ambit of cold professionalism to a collective driven by core values, dedicated to something larger than itself.

However, with newer challenges in our present scenario, definitions have become more blurry than ever before. After all, in today’s world, steeped into post-pandemic paradigms of remote work, how do we redefine work cultures? How do we cope with the blows dealt by the pandemic and foster and sustain desirable professional cultures? These questions merit engagement.

Data shows that culture has always been important to both employers and employees.

Glassdoor’s ‘Mission & Culture Survey 2019’, conducted online by The Harris Poll in June 2019, found that 77 percent of adults across the United States, UK, France and Germany would consider a company’s culture before applying for a job there, and 79 percent would consider a company’s mission and purpose before applying. In the same year, Associated Press reported that in a study conducted by Grant Thorton LLP, executives, who said their organizational culture was extremely healthy, were 1.5 times more likely to report average revenue growth of more than 15 percent over three years and over half of the respondents were ready to leave their jobs for lower-paying ones at organizations with better cultures. In times of Covid-19, with work moving online, cultural shocks were inevitable but despite many uncertainties, the landscape was not entirely dreary. Deft use of technology in tandem with the core values of the company, alongside a general concern for employee welfare yielded impressive results.

The Washington Post illustrates the aforementioned claim with the example of Buffer, a software startup, documenting the experience of an employee who could “check her company’s financial performance, see co-workers’ salaries and view shared notes from all meetings”, got “reimbursed for unlimited books” and received “a $1,000 annual stipend for development.” The company’s required minimum vacation policy of 15 days in addition to time off for mental health helped her avoid burnout, alongside the fact that she was assigned a “role buddy,” who helped her navigate her position and kept her connected to the company culture. And her employer, Buffer, regularly welcomes worker discussions about what’s happening outside of work. The report further states that for social interaction, Buffer — which employs 84 people in 27 countries — provides a monthly stipend to work from co-working spaces or coffee shops, offers a tone guide to ensure text doesn’t get misinterpreted and pairs cross-functional workers for weekly 30-minute chats via the automated Donut app on Slack.

This story is testament to the fact that the technology-driven remote work regime is not just about instructions delivered and exchanges carried out online, but can be an engaging and uplifting way of working, when the company continues to provide a rewarding professional cultural experience, even as the work takes place remotely.

As the report demonstrates, Buffer’s commitment to employee well-being did not waver, even with remote work, as with smartly funding its initiatives and using technology to its advantage, it provided its employees a meaningful and uplifting work environment.

The lesson to take away from this case study is that a good work culture has to be a priority, and remote working is no excuse for downgrading it. With technology providing unlimited avenues for sustaining support, teamwork and dialogue, with the right intent and funding, good work cultures can thrive even when employees do not see the physical workplace. Technology has to be utilized to this effect. For instance, something as seemingly unimportant as the food benefits in the physical office can be extended to employees working online through providing vouchers and funds for them to procure their meals.

Counselling and peer support can move online through safe video conferencing tools and informal feedback, which used to take place through ‘talking it over’ at work, can be conducted in the same way. Clear communication channels among all echelons of the organizational hierarchy can be powered through several tools, ranging from emails to chat rooms and messaging groups. These interventions are only the tip of the iceberg about how technology can be creatively utilized to keep company cultures afloat.

On the whole, the significance of good work cultures cannot be denied. In the age of remote work, where we have accomplished what would be unimaginable a decade ago, we also must step up our commitment to the company culture, which is the hallmark of an imposing organization. Technology can be the most powerful tool yet to achieve extraordinary results in this quest.

(The author is Founder Upsurge Global, Venture Partner Silverneedle Ventures and Adjunct Professor EThames College)