Covid-19 forced the world’s workforce to become virtual rapidly, without sparing a second thought to company culture. As a result, organizations are left to juggle a new workplace culture - a virtual employer company culture. While there’s no denying that the current situation has brought about unusual challenges, it’s also shone a light on how companies need to be more apt to not only adapting to those changes but adjusting on a moment’s notice.
Who would have thought that organizations across the globe would succumb to such a radical change? In fact, before the pandemic swept the world, only 20 percent of workers actually worked from home. However, that number has more than tripled since the start of the outbreak. Moreover, the new way of working squashed preexisting beliefs that virtual work wasn’t possible.
Read on to explore how your company can shift its current culture to become a virtual employer company culture instead. We’ve highlighted a few key talking points that can help guide you through how to rethink this unprecedented change.
Adapting Your Company’s Values to the New Normal
In times of uncertainty, it’s easy for businesses to default to old habits. As companies brace themselves for the new normal, they cannot afford to be inhibited by pre-pandemic business strategies. Moreover, executives need to ensure that whatever decisions are made don’t contradict the company’s values. A recent Gallup survey found that only 27 percent of employees strongly believe in their company’s values. As you can expect, the downsides of absent values often result in higher employee turnover and a lack of overall growth in a company.
As the pandemic continues to disrupt day-to-day business practices, updating your company’s values might be an after-thought. However, now’s the time to note how well your values stand remotely. With that thought in mind, here are a few steps to take to ensure your core values align with the new normal.
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Listen – You can’t improve your current values until you gather feedback from the people that matter most – your employees. Ask questions like, ‘what management styles help you thrive in a remote workplace?’ and determine how they want recognition for their hard work.
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Analyze – With the feedback you’ve been gathering, try to find commonalities. Are there any overlaps that might give insight into what your employees need?
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Define – Just like your company’s goals should be S.M.A.R.T, your company’s values also need to be concise, understandable, and easy to remember.
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Practice – Actions speak louder than words. We’ve all heard that phrase at some point in our life. Your company’s values should be seen daily – throughout every department.
An organization’s values can be likened to looking at in a mirror – they show others the way you not only treat your employees, but also the way you run your business and engage with customers. And as companies across the globe adjust to effects of the pandemic, it’s vital, now more than ever, to maintain those values.
Building Trust With Your Employees - Virtual Employer Company Culture
When the world shutdown last year in a panic, some companies feared that their employees would slack on the job. With an abundance of distractions at their disposal now, it’s a fear that’s been widely accepted across every industry. However, a lack of trust that a business has towards their team members can have devastating consequences. A recent survey by PwC found that almost 70 percent of executives want employees in the office at least three days a week and almost 30 percent would prefer to permanently work from home. And according to Jen Fisher, U.S. Chief Well-Being Office for Deloitte, “Every positive relationship starts from a place of trust.”
So how can employers cultivate trust with their employees?
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Be honest and upfront with your team – A straightforward solution, but it’s repeatedly overlooked. Being honest during uncertain times will almost always garner respect and admiration from your employees.
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Be your team’s best advocate – It’s a natural tendency to be critical of your team. However, a manager that stands behind its team (even when under scrutiny) promotes a positive team culture that people want to be a part of.
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Ask for feedback – In a world full of unknowns, you’ll want to cultivate a team that feels comfortable expressing their concerns before they boil over into larger problems.
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Recognize frequently – It’s crucial to celebrate your employees’ achievements – both small and large. Not only does this make your team members feel valued, but it also strengthens trust.
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Overcommunicate – In a remote environment, it’s important to be specific on what you’re trying to communicate, whether that’s via email, Slack, Microsoft teams, Zoom, etc. Utilizing the right tools and resources can aid in fostering a virtual workforce.
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Trust is not an overnight process – it’s a continual progression that takes time and dedication from both parties. More and more employers are putting trust at the center of their company culture – a must during a time when trust has the ability to improve the workplace.
Enabling Virtual Teamwork With Stellar Communication to Strenghten Company Culture
Teamwork drives growth and productivity within a company. In fact, teamwork is the catalyst that fuels efficiency and innovation. However, teamwork does not happen on its own and can only be enabled by fostering communication. A team that lacks effective communication usually ends up being unproductive, doing menial tasks that add no value to the strategic goals of the business. As a result, conflicts arise – a sure fire way to create a toxic work environment. As you can see, communication is at the utmost importance within a team.
Why does teamwork matter in a post-pandemic world?
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It eliminates a toxic work culture – A toxic work environment seeps into every aspect of a company; and when that happens, it greatly affects the business’s bottom line, including the well-being of the employees. By promoting teamwork, you are essentially eliminating anything that contributes to toxicity.
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It reduces employee turnover – A focus on the need for teamwork improves employee retention. When your team members feel connected to one another, they’re more likely to work harder and stay longer with the company.
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It helps employees remain focused on their goals – Teamwork enables members of the team to lean on each other for direction and support. In fact, working as a team on different projects diminishes workloads for all employees by allocating responsibilities.
Going completely remote can add a barrier to effective communication amongst your team members. In the present climate, it’s necessary to put measures in place to bring your team members together and ensure that they are communicating successfully.
Defeating Turnover With a Great Onboarding Strategy
You may be surprised to learn that 25 percent of all new employees think about leaving their job within the first year. In essence, if you don’t make it worth their time, your workforce is going to deplete quick. And in the midst of a pandemic, you can’t afford to lose your team. A simplified solution is to develop a stellar onboarding strategy they won’t forget. But onboarding doesn’t start and end with new hires – it should also include employees who have been at your company for more than a year.
Exiting the continuous rotation of turnover can be tedious, and it often means bringing in outside help. For many accounting and finance leaders, that can be accomplished by forming a partnership with a creditable outsourcing provider. Bringing in a third-party company with access to global talent allows CFOs and other leaders to step off the never-ending loop of turnover for good.
Read More: How To Combat Turnover In Your Accounting Team
Here at Personiv, we understand that navigating a virtual employer company culture can be challenging. We’ve been helping businesses of every size cope with the new normal during these uncertain times and we can help you too. Get in touch with one of our experts to explore how you can make a smooth transition to a virtual workforce without missing a beat.
