Cultivating a Virtual Culture You Can Feel

How has your company culture fared during this traumatic year? What’s next? Stay remote? Go back to the office full time? Or perhaps a hybrid approach is preferred. As we begin to slowly emerge from this unprecedented crisis and adjust to what the “new normal” means, it is imperative that culture is front and center. Network to Code has been a primarily remote workforce even prior to the pandemic, but this does not mean we were not faced with other unique challenges. Here at NTC, we are very purposeful in creating a positive and engaged virtual culture, which—based on our Q1 2021 Pulse Survey—is described as “collaborative, supportive, and inspiring.”

How do we do this? We embrace it, here’s how!

Virtual Team Dojos

These are a great replacement for open concept office spaces. Teams can hang out while working. They can ask questions, brainstorm ideas, or simply say “Hi.” This can reduce feelings of isolation and low morale.

Company-wide Hackathons

These dynamic events happen three to four times a year and allow for employees to team up with folks they may not work with on a regular basis. Teams spend time innovating around what they are passionate about, and the winning team receives major kudos as well as swag (of course). But their biggest award is that they may see their design implemented in our client solutions and/or open-source technology. This is truly an organization dedicating days a year to innovation.

Donuts (not what you’re thinking)

Did you know Donuts could be healthy for you? Well, our kind of Donuts are! The Donut app integrates with Slack and randomly matches you with another NTC employee for a 30-minute Zoom session. These intros are invaluable to new hires, and Donuts help existing employees connect with colleagues that they might not otherwise get a chance to meet. It also encourages employees to get to know each other on a more personal level, as opposed to in a work capacity—much like a real-life coffee or donut break. We’re either meeting each other for the first time, or we’re building upon our existing relationship.

EMEA Friday Coffee

Our remote workforce is global, which means we juggle across many time zones. It’s so important to recognize that not everything can happen on a company-wide level, and sometimes it’s necessary to find alternate ways to connect based on different restrictions. Our EMEA team meets every Friday for virtual coffee. Sometimes everyone can’t make it, sometimes only a few can; the point is, it’s dependable. There is always someone there to have coffee with.

Swag, Swag, Swag

Just like free food, swag goes a long way! Whether you’re a new hire or the winner or runner-up of a Hackathon, swag connects people to their organization. Swag also goes a long way in communicating who we are as a company and what we stand for. As an example, Network to Code has launched a line of Pride-inspired Swag for Pride month. Our next fun swag will be kiddo T’s and pet sweaters!