Corporate culture refers to a shared set of norms, values, assumptions, and beliefs that govern employees’ organizational behavior in the workplace. Culture defines how employees behave in the company and influences each one in some way or the other. As for organizations that operate in virtual workplaces, employees are connected remotely. Hence, a shared set of values is often missing. Therefore, an increasing need to teach a healthy virtual culture ensures that each remote worker feels a part of the team (sense of belonging).
Why do Virtual Workplaces Require a Corporate Culture?
It is essential to identify why a virtual workplace requires a corporate culture. First, there needs to be sufficient trust among remote employees. Lack of trust among employees connected virtually can lead to work disruptions, such that employees may not be willing to work as a team.
Second, to introduce the leadership model in a virtual workplace, a set of shared beliefs and values becomes inevitable. People who are connected remotely will find it very difficult to accept the leadership of another remote employee. Leadership is not only a requirement for physical workplaces but becomes even more critical if geographical locations separate employees.
Employees in a virtual workplace may also feel isolated as their interaction is limited, which obstructs open, informal, and social communication between team members. This isolation hampers employees’ growth aspect in terms of social skills, effective communication skills, and interaction outside of the work environment. Digital interaction does not allow for gestures, body language, and a pat on the back for a job well done. These elements tend to be missing in a virtual workplace, but a common corporate culture could fill in this void to some extent.
How to Build a Corporate Culture in a Virtual Workplace
The following are a few methods that stimulate a corporate culture in a virtual work setting:
- There must be computer-based chat rooms set up for remote employees for them to discuss and perform work projects. This will enable open communication channels in a virtual workplace.
- Moreover, virtual collaborative tools may be used to exchange ideas, share viewpoints, and opinions on the various tasks assigned to remote employees, be it for basic bookkeeping.
- To cultivate a culture whereby social skills may be enhanced, virtual socialization tools must be set to ensure that remote employees can engage in informal and personal conversations. This engagement will induce social interaction among employees and result in trust among remote employees, something they had been missing upon due to physical limitations.
- Virtual employees lack a sense of engagement. This feeling may be countered using video calls and video conferences so that face-to-face interactions become a possibility. This way, gesturing and body language can be exercised to convey messages to remote employees.
- Once in a while, employees may be arranged to meet one another at a conference or annual dinner physically. This interaction is another way of ensuring that a corporate culture seeps into the virtual workplace. These meetings will develop a set of shared values, beliefs, and norms to which all remote employees can become accustomed.
- Another method to instill a corporate culture in the virtual workplace is through constant feedback from remote employees. Employees may share personal views regarding what is missing in the virtual culture and what needs changing. Their valuable insights can lead to necessary alterations because it is the employees that make up a corporate culture.
- Virtual employees may have full ownership of their projects to allow delegation. This ownership cultivates trust among employees and will inseminate a sense of belonging in them.
Conclusion
Virtual workplaces can make remote employees feel less motivated and alienated, provided the lack of physical interaction. However, corporate culture is as much a necessity for a virtual work setting as they are for a physical workplace. Using these methods, efforts toward establishing a positive virtual culture for remote employees will be established.
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