Retaining Culture in a Virtual Environment

Here we are Day 317 into our new normal. But who’s counting?

Most businesses have found ways to pivot amidst a socially distanced ecosystem. For some companies that means rotating schedules or fully remote working, and for others it’s days spent in the office wearing masks and maintaining the mandatory 6-feet of distance.

I have loads of gratitude for the technology and software that allows us to continue to do our job without skipping a beat—Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams, Constant Contact, our ATS system, and the list goes on.

But for leaders like myself, finding ways to continue to drive revenue does not stop at partnering with companies who are seeking talent. What keeps me up at night is the logistics surrounding implementing initiatives, how to train a new employee in a remote work setting, and how to retain our most valued treasure, our culture.

Culture is derived from the Latin word “colere,” which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. For over 25 years, Tews has cultivated a team of professionals, recruiting experts, that live our core values of integrity, community, and knowledge on a daily basis. We pride ourselves on our culture. It’s what sets us apart from our competition. So how do we retain our culture, or better yet, how do we continue to nourish it through the pandemic?

I recently attended a virtual workshop hosted by Dan Cockerell, Disney Keynote Speaker, former Vice President of Magic Kingdom, and owner of Cockerell Consulting. He discussed the differences between a problem and a dilemma. Dan shared that a problem has a solution, and a dilemma isn’t easily solved. This idea resonated with me and I believe it holds true to the issue of cultural preservation. While I don’t have the secret remedy, I do have a few suggestions that have helped our teams maintain our culture:

• Daily huddle meetings. Each division holds a Microsoft Teams meeting and discusses our objectives for the day.
• Weekly staff meetings. Our entire company meets over Teams to review our numbers, positives of the week, and any new initiatives.
• Virtual Lunch and Learns.
• Monthly virtual social activities to include happy hours, White Elephant party during the holidays, pumpkin carving contests, and Murder Mystery games (coming soon, team)!
• Celebration of birthdays, work anniversaries, and baby showers by hosting virtual parties!

But none of these activities will be successful if you don’t have a strong cultural foundation to begin with. Other things to consider if you feel your culture is failing:

1. The relationship with your colleagues must be built on trust. Micromanaging in this environment is not for the faint of heart. If you cannot trust that your team is working, then you need to find a new team.
2. Set clear expectations and provide performance metrics to hold your team accountable.
3. Have honest and transparent communications with your team. Check on their mental health. Are they finding a work/life balance? Are they motivated? Remember, each person needs something different. That doesn’t mean that we can always provide for that, but you can at a minimum address it.

I would love to hear your suggestions about retaining culture in your environment! I will be sharing a post on LinkedIn this week. Please drop a note or leave a recommendation in the comments!

Wishing you all a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2021!