Workplaces have changed in the last five years, perhaps in no greater way than with the move to work-from-home and hybrid environments. What started as an inventive solution during COVID times has become the norm in many workplaces, and yet, organizations still face their share of struggles with the arrangement. Managers may wonder how to build camaraderie when everyone is behind a screen or when in-person interactions are few.
Employing an effective hybrid workplace comes down to fostering company culture. These five strategies help us build a culture of excellence and foster a productive hybrid environment.
1. Use your core values as a guiding light
Unite your team around a set of shared values, and use these values as a thread that runs through every interaction you have, internally and externally.
Elmore is very deliberate about promoting our core values – listening, clarity, curiosity, and support – in everything we do. They guide our consultancy, and are the backbone of all internal team interactions. When onboarded, new team members are trained on these principles. These values are also regularly underscored in team meetings and trainings, keeping everyone on the same page.
2. Show your appreciation often
Make a regular effort to appreciate your team. Appreciation can be shown through small gestures like a note of thanks for a job well done, a public kudos in a company-wide meeting, hosting a company bonding event, or putting on a larger initiative like a dedicated Employee Appreciation Week. Build morale through frequent and sincere gestures of gratitude.
Elmore hosted its inaugural Employee Appreciation Week in 2024, creating a variety of experiences, like catered meals and chair massages, that landed on different times of the day and days of the week to achieve maximum flexibility for the team to come into the office when able, while also being mindful of client commitments. When surveyed after, 100% of employees reported feeling appreciated, and many expressed their thanks for getting to bond with colleagues over fun activities.
3. Trust your employees
This starts with hiring trustworthy people. Set high standards for who you hire, then trust that you’ve hired people capable of getting the job done without micromanagement. If productivity issues arise, address them, but otherwise, assume your team is capable of getting the job done in a remote or hybrid environment without your constant oversight. Trusting your team empowers them, and also frees up your mental load. In our experience, team members who feel trusted with latitude to do their job are the most productive.
4. Create opportunities for togetherness
Provide occasions for team building and increasing connectedness among employees. If you are on a hybrid model, host in-person meetings monthly, or dedicate particular days for the entire team to work from the office. If your team is fully remote, consider a monthly company meeting via Teams.
Make time for fun. For decades, Elmore has held “Quarterly Chaos,” an in-person time of togetherness. Every quarter, we gather as a team for a good meal and a fun activity away from the office, each planned by a different group of employees. These half-day events also provide team members who don’t usually work together an opportunity to engage and connect.
5. Teach employees to “speak the culture”
Whether they’re engaging with media, the public, or constituents, your employees are your company’s most impactful representatives. Empower them with a unified set of key messages that speak to your company’s culture to ensure everyone is singing the same song. From staff meetings and printed internal agendas to employee evaluations and onboarding, employees should hear consistent messaging from management early and often. They’ll feel it internally and be well positioned to repeat it externally.
Not sure how to do this? Elmore offers custom employee messaging trainings to help teams best represent their companies out in the world. Contact us to learn more. You’ll be well on your way to building a strong company culture.
