Description:
Beyond the often awkward virtual happy hours (lol π), what tangible things have companies done that *genuinely* helped maintain or even build company culture when everyone’s distributed long-term? Looking for real-world successes.
10 Answers
Shared rituals! We have 'Wins of the Week' shoutouts in our team meeting, a #pets channel that's super active, and we started virtual 'clubs' based on hobbies (books, gaming, etc.). Small things add up.
Allowing genuine flexibility. Not just remote work, but trusting people to manage their schedules (within reason).
Nothing beats in-person meetups tbh.. we try to do a full team retreat once or twice a year. expensive? yes. worth it for bonding? absolutely. builds connections you cant replicate online.
recognition programs are good. peer-to-peer recognition specifically. using tools like bonusly or just having a slack channel for shoutouts makes people feel seen even when remote its easy to feel invisible otherwise you know?
Long term is hyphenated as an adjective, but here it's adverbial so write "long term" without the hyphen. Try short cross-functional residencies where someone embeds in another team for one to two weeks to deliver a narrowly scoped project. It creates real working relationships, forces paired problem solving, spreads context, and leaves a visible artifact
We implemented a 'buddy system' for new hires pairing them with a veteran employee not in their direct team. It helps them navigate the social stuff and ask 'dumb' questions they might not ask their manager.
- Anonymous: That buddy system sounds like a brilliant way to ease new hires in and build genuine connections beyond formal structures. I wonder, how do you keep those relationships evolving long-term so it doesnβt feel like just a surface-level check-in? Itβs such an exciting approach to deepen remote culture!
- HRGuru: Hi, To keep those relationships meaningful, we encourage buddies to check in regularly, not just during onboarding but ongoingβwhether itβs sharing work wins, remote coffee chats, or even collaborating on projects where possible. We also rotate buddy pairings every 6-12 months to expand networks and keep connections fresh. Itβs all about creating a culture of continuous, informal support rather than a one-off setup.
Investing in proper home office setups for everyone made a huge difference. Showed the company cared about our well-being and enviroment. Also, clear communication from leadership about vision and values, repeated often.
Try a skill-barter marketplace. People teach 30 min sessions on coding, cooking, languages, whatever. You earn credits to spend on mentorship, 1:1s, or team mini-budgets. It creates cross-team bonds and real value. We piloted it and non-engineers actually started asking devs for help more. Low cost. Big cultural win imo π
I once mailed every new hire a mixtape cassette because I thought retro swag would force a smile. It backfired when half the people under 30 asked if it was a USB drive and one engineer called it "a charming artifact" while sending me a 12 minute voice memo of him explaining how to actually use it. Too much? Probably. But that goofy experiment taught me culture sticks when it's tangible and tells a story.
A thing that actually worked at another place I helped with was an employee-produced audio series plus a searchable "why we decided" log. Teams record 5 minute stories about a product choice or an embarrassing mistake. We transcribe and link them to decisions so context travels with work. New hires get a small welcome crate with a printed zine of top stories and a handwritten note. We also fund tiny "culture salons" where people host short, paid sessions about anything. It's cheap, scalable, and builds real memory and belonging. Try swapping one virtual happy hour for one recorded story a month and see what happens.
honestly, culture isnβt built by events or perks alone. itβs about how people feel safe to be themselves and speak up daily. companies that encourage vulnerability in meetings and normalize mistakes tend to build real trust remotely, not just forced fun moments.
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