Organizational Culture in the Virtual Workplace
I will never forget the job that had the biggest influence on my career decision and shaped my perception of a great place to work. During the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college, a friend of mine told me about a company that was hiring customer service representatives for their new call center. My friend was incredibly happy working for one of their sister call centers and thought I would enjoy working there as well; so, I decided to apply for the job. I remember interviewing with several team members as part of the hiring process and then going through a nine-week training program. During the nine-week training, my colleagues and I received training on the operating system, policies and procedures; customer service training as well as soft skills training which included team building; learning how to deliver and receive constructive and positive feedback; how to manage and resolve conflict; and activities that laid the groundwork for fostering and building trust with each other. At the end of the training program, personality assessments, complementary skillsets and other key performance indicators were used to create our work teams. The company strongly believed its competitive advantage was its ability to attract talented employees and create high performing work teams. They spent a tremendous amount of time and energy figuring out the right combination of people who could work together effectively and successfully as a team. For those of you who are superhero fans, this process was similar to Nick Fury assembling the Avengers, but instead of having actual superpowers, our superpowers would be teamwork and collaboration.
The walls in the work environment were bright and colorful, which made the atmosphere feel energetic and lively. We had access to toys and stress balls to use for relieving tension during a difficult call, and we took breaks away from the phones to have team meetings and fun. While I do not remember seeing our vision or values posted anywhere, I believe anyone walking into the work environment or a new hire joining the team could have easily assessed and described our organizational culture within a few minutes. It was people centric, diverse, inclusive, service-oriented, collaborative, innovative and fun. At least once or twice a week the CEO would physically walk around the office, stop by each of our cubicle’s, shake our hand and say, “Thank you for coming in today!” As a young person in college, this was my first impression of a CEO and he had created an amazing first impression. His presence and actions made me and my teammates, feel valued, appreciated and that the company genuinely cared about us as individuals. As a result, our turnover was extremely low (single digit turnover low); and my initial plan to only work for the company over the summer, turned into the remainder of my college years plus six months after graduation. I stayed because I liked the company, the culture and the people I worked with. The company had created a culture of inclusion, respect and teamwork. I had the privilege of seeing everyone - from the employees, managers, and VP of Human Resources to the CEO - lead by example. Twenty-five years later, I still reflect on this experience with fond memories of the amazing culture we built and the talented people we were able to attract and retain.
Organizational culture is unique to each company. There is no one size fits all. Each company creates a vision and determines what is important, what it values; what is acceptable behavior; and how employees are to treat each other. Once the CEO and senior leaders set the strategic direction for the company and begin modeling the behaviors they desire to see in others, the organization’s culture starts to develop. Eventually, new employees who share a similar passion for the company’s vision and values join the organization and begin to assimilate into the work environment. For some companies, this is a formal process that occurs during the recruiting and on-boarding process, or as part of establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations. For other companies, this process is less formal and may be learned through working with others, observing, or undefined. And while the definition of organizational culture may vary from company to company, the ability to identify who is or is not an organizational fit is relatively consistent. Clearly the individual’s knowledge, skills and abilities are important prerequisites to hiring for a position, however, the person’s ability to work effectively in your organization and foster effective working relationships is what ultimately determines their success.
Our new virtual work world is creating a challenge for many companies, especially for those who do not offer remote work or did not have remote policies in place prior to the year 2020. Even for companies with existing remote work practices, the new environment is causing them to take a step back and evaluate what is working well and where they need to make improvements. We are all in unchartered water trying to figure out what will work best for our people, customers and businesses. What this means and looks like for each organization will differ. But, the benefit of these difficult and challenging times will be the opportunity to emerge on the other side stronger, smarter and better postured for the future.
Assessing Organizational Culture
Now is a great opportunity to assess what your company is doing well and where you can make adjustments. If you have developed a strong organizational culture and great working relationships, this may be an opportune time to look at how you can sustain and preserve your culture in the new virtual work world. And, if you are trying to build or foster a more positive organizational culture, one that will eventually attract and retain the right people who will be successful in your new virtual work world, where do you begin? How do you strengthen your existing culture? Below are a few suggestions for how you can get started:
Take a look at what your company does best. How do you know you do it well? What data or information supports this? How is this measured? What has allowed you to do it well? Do the factors that have contributed to your company’s success still exist? If not, where do they exist today and where might they exist in the future?
Review your company policies and practices. Do your existing policies and procedures reflect how you currently do business? Do they align with the new culture you are trying to build? If not, what do you need to change? What processes will you put in place to ensure your policies and procedures remain current and relevant as your business continues to adapt and evolve?
Evaluate your talent. Do you have the right people doing the right jobs? Review your existing job descriptions to make sure they are still relevant based on the way your business operates. Do you have the right roles and responsibilities in place for your organization to be successful? If not, what are the right roles and responsibilities? And, how will you begin to align your employees to the right roles in order for them and your organization to be successful?
Focus on performance and results. Clearly communicate what success looks like, performance expectations, desired outcomes and results. Be clear about the “what and when” and empower employees to decide “how” they achieve the desired end results.
Practice effective communication. Dr. Albert Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication study from the 1970’s, which is still used today, cites only 7% of our communication comes from spoken words. Over 50% of what we communicate is non-verbal, i.e., through our body language, gestures and facial expressions. If we only use emails, conference calls and phone conversations to communicate with employees, we are missing an opportunity to gain valuable information about our employees. Specifically, how they are doing and may be feeling. Using video conferencing (i.e., Zoom, Skype and Google Hangouts) is a way to visually connect with team members. Face-time is also an option for one-on-one employee conversations.
Communicate frequently. Schedule regular check-in meetings with employees. Get to know your employees. Ask how they are doing, what they are feeling, what tools do they need, and how you can provide better support? Then, follow this up by asking, “How will I know I am providing you with the right level of support? How will we both know this is working well?”
Practice patience. We are all imperfect people trying to navigate through a period of uncertainty. Find positive ways to manage your emotions, calm your fears and focus on what is within your control.
In today’s new virtual way of work, you may not be able to walk the floor, stop by each employee’s cubicle and say, “Thank you for coming in today,” but you can find ways and take time to show gratitude and appreciation to your employees. Many companies have been forced to reduce staff or close temporarily. If you have been fortunate to keep your company doors open and retain talent, this is a great time to recognize and appreciate your employees. Stay connected to your employees and stay connected to the team members you had to lay off and eventually want to bring back to your organization. Now, and in the future, an organization’s most competitive advantage will be its ability to connect with and keep its most valuable asset – people.