feature
Is Workplace
Camaraderie Across
Distance Possible?
CONNECT WIDESPREAD EMPLOYEES WITH ONE ANOTHER
By Carole Trask
Aligning corporate culture can be difficult enough with one office location, but how can
a company make sure multiple offices feel connected? What strategies can HR depart-ments
implement to foster a sense of community and camaraderie between workers who
live across the continent from one another?
At Rand Worldwide, our workforce is incredibly dispersed. Over 365 employees work from over
40 separate locations across North America, as well as employees who telecommute. With such a
geographically fragmented workforce, one of the top challenges Rand Worldwide faces is creating a
sense of community among co-workers.
Below is an overview of some of the strategies and solutions that Rand Worldwide has success-fully
implemented to connect its staff working all over North America.
MAKE USE OF AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY
Because Rand Worldwide is a technology consulting company, it only makes sense that we use a va-riety
of technologies to keep teams on the same page. Many departments are entirely virtual. To keep
people working together, project teams and departments regularly hold meetings online. Being able to
share screens is valuable and simulates in-person responsiveness, and everyone in the company has ac-cess
to an online meeting tool account.
We also allow everyone to use instant messaging (IM). IM is an efficient way to ask a question, get
feedback or provide invisible backup when a team member on a call is asked a question they can’t answer.
IM replaces hard to schedule calls and email, which at times can be painfully slow. IM has been the ide-al
solution when someone has a quick, straightforward question. Even though employees may not be in the
same office, it’s easy for them to be there for one another and foster a culture of helping each other out.
Having technology available that allows for easy access to other employees lubricates communications and
provides opportunities for workers (who may not otherwise have the chance to meet face-to-face) to become in-ternal
support systems.
ESTABLISHING AN INFORMAL EMPLOYEE VOICE
Rand Worldwide publishes a monthly newsletter called Random Thoughts. The newsletter focuses on people in the or-ganization;
in each issue, we run a story written by an employee about who they are and what they do when they aren’t
working. For example, an employee was setting out to climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas, and he wrote his sto-ry
to share with other employees at the company. He also created a blog where co-workers could follow his trip online. Everyone
talked about where he was and how he was doing, even though many did not have a personal relationship with him. Other work-ers
were able to bond over his story and ambitions, and he built a community within the company that cheered him on and supported
his goals.
Random Thoughts also features photos of people both in the office and out of the office, at work or play. Staff members submit photos
to the editor of the newsletter on a regular basis, and the editor chooses several photos to include each month.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ SEPTEMBER 2014 ❚ 29