How to Build a Strong Company Culture In a Remote Work Environment

Remote work is the biggest trend shift of this decade. Today, over 40% of U.S. employees work remotely at least one day per week–with reportedly higher productivity and satisfaction. And with 74% of employees feeling happy working remotely, getting them back to the office is a major challenge for businesses globally.

However, addressing concerns over innovation, collaboration, and employee connection, companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google are introducing return-to-office (RTO) policies. But it’s not without challenges. Employees who became accustomed to the flexibility of remote work may feel their work-life balance is being disrupted. This shift can lead to disappointment: employees might feel disconnected from a culture that used to prioritize workplace flexibility and personal well-being.

To address these challenges and maintain a positive company culture, companies can:

1. Adopt a Flexible Hybrid Model: Allow team-based scheduling, where teams decide which days work best for in-office collaboration. This empowers employees to keep some control over their work routines.
2. Focus on Purposeful In-Office Days: Use the in-office time to encourage activities that build culture, such as team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and social gatherings. Avoid turning office days into a repetition of remote work tasks. This way, you can give the right value and purpose to office time, as well as remote work.
3. Maintain Open Communication on RTO Policies: Create channels for employees to provide feedback on RTO experiences. Regularly revisit RTO guidelines based on employee needs and organizational goals to prevent feelings of disconnection.

Now, with that in mind, here are the four steps to building a strong company culture for your remote work environment:

Your team –both in-office and remote– works together to keep the company running. However, this unity requires every team member to understand and align with the company’s values, thus forming a strong culture.

Therefore, start by defining your values and visions. You must find a concise and clear way to describe your vision and the goals the company aims to achieve –both short— and long-term.

Leverage digital platforms to reinforce these shared values, even when the team is separated by screens. Use Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspaces for synchronized communication–broadcasting messages and hosting discussions around values.

In remote-first workplaces, embedding the company values will take intentional effort. This can include spotlighting your core values in internal newsletters and regular emails about the company’s mission.

Even the smallest gestures, like company-branded merchandise, can massively foster the feeling of connectivity within the team. Branded hoodies, mugs, and notebooks are simple yet powerful ways to create a shared identity.

Remote communication can be disjointed. You don’t get the same natural flow –like 1:1 chats before the meetings. However, a strong culture thrives on open communication and transparency.

Here, the first step is to set up basic communication rules for your remote and hybrid teams. Consider:

• What channels are suitable for which types of communication?
• What channels does each team prefer? Do they prefer GitHub for tech, Trello for product, Zendesk for Sales, or Folks HR for human resources?
• What should be the ideal turnaround time for messages?

Set the rules and post it somewhere your entire team can access. To accommodate both the remote and in-office teams, you have to adopt an asynchronous communication style. It allows the employees to communicate at their preferred time.

A unified communication solution is ideal for transparency. However, you have to establish types of communication channels. This includes:

• Email for newsletter and one-on-one communication;
• Video conferencing software;
• Slack or other instant messaging apps;
• In-App notifications;
• Company podcasts.

Consult with each team to know their specific communication requirements. For example, if your sales team is too swarmed with repetitive customer queries, empower them with custom AI chatbots, designed to handle tailored FAQs and streamline responses. Or, if your marketing team relies heavily on cross-team collaboration, dedicate Slack channels integrated with project management tools.

The above will cover the basics. However, a strong culture is built on more than just addressing them. It requires you to host a variety of meetings –weekly virtual or hybrid meetings where everyone can participate. Try to replicate the water cooler conversations with optional drop-in sessions or themed virtual coffee breaks.

Dedicate Slack channels for employees to discuss non-work topics –hobbies, pets, even favorite TV shows. Zapier, for example, uses Donut to encourage employees to join random “pair calls” for casual chats with someone they might not usually work with.

Even better–add some spontaneity in the form of trivia sessions or surprise team-building activities to break up the routine and encourage employee engagement. All this together will make the employees feel heard and more connected to the company –even while working remotely.

Remote work often blurs the line between personal and professional life. The recent Return-to-Office policies are disrupting this line even more, requiring employees to balance a mix of remote and in-office demands.

Although employers alone can’t provide a 100% work-life balance, employees, too, have to take responsibility. There are steps you can take to support a healthy work balance.

Ideally, offers a flexible and hybrid work model. The highly productive remote companies provide unlimited and generous PTO, implement a 4-day work week, and encourage employee mental health days.

Schedule a company-wide “unplug hour” to give your team time to breathe, focus, and clear their head. Introduce monthly “No Meeting Days” for those uninterrupted work sessions. Encourage employees to use “do not disturb” signs on their virtual office doors.

As leaders, you must also set expectations, assess, evaluate, and provide constructive feedback. This means leveraging performance management metrics to learn how to delegate tasks and ensure achievable workloads–so that none of your employees are overworked.

A thriving company culture is built on going above and beyond. Therefore, go a step further in ensuring your employee’s well-being by:

• Supporting mental health in the workplace;
• Contributing to better health with memberships and discounts to local gyms or health clubs;
• Helping the team to overcome remote work challenges (productivity tips, time management strategies, etc.);
• Holding weekly step-count challenges.

Moreover, provide your employees with all the tools and resources they need to work efficiently. This includes encouraging them to use an AI meeting assistant to automate note-taking, scheduling, and follow-ups, enhancing remote team productivity and focus.

These extra efforts from the employers will not go unnoticed by the employees. In return, they will be motivated to give their best to the company.

It’s easy for a remote team’s accomplishments to go unnoticed. However, a consistent lack of recognition will decrease employee engagement and productivity, and your company culture will suffer.

Therefore, recognize achievements, no matter how small. This will make the employees feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. Celebrate small and big wins to foster a positive and supportive work culture.

Create dedicated channels for virtual shootouts and milestone celebrations. Personalize the appreciation by sending personalized emails or handwritten notes. Encourage a peer-to-peer recognition program where employees can nominate each other for rewards, thus strengthening both company culture and team bonds.

Start a “Random Acts of Appreciation” program. Surprise your top-performing staff with e-gift cards to enjoy at the local brew, snag a swanky meal, and just rewind with their favorite hobby.

Building a thriving company culture has never been an easy task. But with the shift to remote work and now return-to-office challenges–it’s easier said than done.

However, with continuous communication, inclusivity, and balance, you can build an aspiring workplace culture that motivates employees to give their 100%. It all boils down to exploring models that work for your business and team. Therefore, put the above four steps into action and build a culture you can be proud of.

Looking to strengthen your company’s culture and enhance employee engagement? Visit and bookmark our blog for expert insights and resources to help your remote or hybrid team thrive. Start building a workplace culture that everyone loves!