Corporate culture refers to a shared set of norms, values, assumptions, and beliefs that govern employees’ organizational behavior in a workplace. This culture defines how employees behave in the organization with one another, and it 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 another remote employee’s leadership. Leadership is not only a requirement for physical workplaces but becomes even more important 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 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 may be used to stimulate a corporate culture in a virtual work setting:
- Computer-based chat rooms must be set up for remote employees 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 is likely to induce social interaction among employees and result in trust among remote employees, something they had been missing due to physical limitations.
- Virtual employees lack a sense of engagement. This may be countered using video calls and video conferences to make face-to-face interactions possible. 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 is yet 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 that all remote employees can become accustomed to. - Another method to instill a corporate culture in the virtual workplace is through constant feedback from remote employees. Employees may be asked for their personal views regarding what’s missing in the virtual culture and what needs to be amended. Their valuable insights can be used to make the required alterations because the employees make up a corporate culture, after all.
- Virtual employees may be granted full ownership of their projects to allow delegation. This is yet another method for ensuring trust among employees and inseminating a sense of belonging.
Conclusion
Virtual workplaces can make remote employees feel less motivated and alienated, provided the lack of physical interaction. However, corporate culture is necessary for a virtual work setting as they are for a physical workplace. Using the methods above, efforts may be dedicated toward establishing a virtual culture for remote employees.
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