Establishing a positive environment in the 21st century office goes beyond planning happy hours and holiday parties. The ease of telecommuting has given way to an office space that may seem somewhat empty. More organizations are offering employees the option to work remotely one or two days a week, or even entirely from home, a coffee shop or wherever they can access Wi-Fi. As long as the employee continues to perform well, meets deadlines and attends mandatory meetings, either in person or digitally, companies are pleased with the telecommuting arrangement As the trend builds, companies and their telecommuting employees are working out the dynamics of how to make collaboration and communication thrive in the digital world. The face-to-face interaction many employees are used to no longer exists in the same capacity. To take telecommuting a step further, freelance and contract work either as a primary or secondary employment opportunity is on the rise. Managers face with a choice — either allow digital communication to replace corporate culture or use digital communication to increase corporate culture. Establishing a positive and productive digital corporate culture:
- Managers must establish daily and weekly accountabilities for telecommuters to measure productivity and work quality.
- Maintain core business hours in which employees are expected to be available online and/or over the phone.
- Encourage telecommuters to maintain active Outlook calendars that can be viewed by other team members. Updated and visible calendars allow for collaboration to take place, ensures meetings are scheduled efficiently, and projects are easily managed.
- Create digital profiles for each team member. Most remote employees appreciate an easy reference guide that allows them to put a face to a face with a name or voice — or perhaps learn a fun fact about the folks they regularly email or teleconference with.
- Ensure regular team communication by sending out periodic team digital newsletters. Invite telecommuters to contribute. In-house communication offers your teams a great place to share successes, pose questions or announcements.
- Host live webinars when new skills or development needs to be introduced. Continued professional development is a key component ensuring telecommuters and remote employees continue to thrive.
- Have fun! Send an e-mail with a funny photo and invite others to reply-all and create their own caption. Encourage telecommute to happen in a social setting among peers.
Telecommuting must align with the businesses’ policies and goals in order to be effective. In addition, strong management expectations must be established and communicated to ensure productivity and accountability thrive. How do you create a positive corporate culture when some or all team members work remotely? Share your experiences and suggestions.