11 Tips to Stay Connected to Company Culture for Remote Teams
Remote work has revolutionized the modern workplace, but it comes with unique challenges for maintaining company culture. This article presents expert-backed strategies for keeping remote teams connected and engaged. From fostering regular touchpoints to creating virtual loreboards, these tips will help organizations thrive in the digital age.
- Foster Small, Regular Touchpoints
- Intentionally Build Culture Every Day
- Drive Engagement Through Purposeful Interactions
- Connect Through Shared On-Road Experiences
- Celebrate Real Progress in Unexpected Moments
- Share Micro-Rituals to Sync Personalities
- Design Asynchronous Culture Engineering Practices
- Utilize Frameworks to Enhance Remote Communication
- Create Virtual Loreboards for Team Bonding
- Maintain Transparency in Remote Work Environment
- Recreate Chance Encounters Virtually
Foster Small, Regular Touchpoints
We've learned that culture doesn't survive on its own when people work remotely. So, we make time for the little things that keep us connected. Every week, we set up short coffee chats with three or four teammates. No work talk is allowed; we end up laughing about pets, weekend plans, or random stories. It sounds small, but it breaks down silos.
We also share bits of our lives on Slack: someone's kid's drawing, a favorite recipe, or even frustrations we're working through. Those moments make it feel less like we're staring at avatars on screens and more like we're still part of something shared.
For us, it's not about big virtual events. It's those small, regular touchpoints that remind people this isn't just a company; it's a team they belong to.
Intentionally Build Culture Every Day
For us, staying deeply connected to our culture and values in a remote environment is all about being intentional. We've learned that you can't simply let culture happen; you have to actively and collectively build it every single day.
One of our most effective practices is our daily virtual huddle. We make a conscious effort to start these meetings by sharing something personal - a small win, a moment of gratitude, or a funny story. This simple act reminds us that we're a team of people, not just professionals on a screen. It fosters a genuine, supportive atmosphere that is core to who we are.
We also create dedicated spaces for connection beyond our work tasks. We have specific chat channels for everything from sharing pet photos and favorite recipes to discussing weekend plans. These informal interest groups are vital. They spark conversations and friendships that build a strong sense of community and belonging, no matter how many miles are between us.
To keep our values alive and at the forefront, we integrate them directly into our weekly all-hands meetings. We have a tradition of giving 'shout-outs' to team members who have brilliantly embodied one of our core principles. Celebrating our colleagues in this public way doesn't just offer recognition; it constantly reinforces the standards we strive for. This commitment to connection and our shared principles is fundamental to our success and identity at Keller Executive Search, ensuring we all feel like a cohesive team, united in our mission.
Drive Engagement Through Purposeful Interactions
Building and maintaining a strong team culture while working remotely has been a fascinating journey for us at Fulfill. As someone who has founded multiple companies in the logistics space, I've learned that intentionality is everything when physical office interactions aren't part of daily life.
My favorite approach is our weekly "Fulfillment Friday" virtual gatherings. They're deliberately structured with both business updates and personal connection time. We start with quick wins across departments, but the real magic happens in our breakout rooms where team members share personal milestones or challenges. This practice keeps us connected to our shared mission of revolutionizing how eCommerce companies find their perfect 3PL match.
I've found that remote culture thrives with consistent touchpoints. We use Slack channels like #customer-wins to celebrate when businesses we've helped see tangible improvements in their fulfillment operations. There's nothing like seeing an eCommerce brand reduce shipping times by 40% after we connected them with the right warehousing partner!
The 3PL industry moves incredibly fast, so we maintain engagement through quarterly virtual offsites focused on both strategy and team building. Last quarter, we brought in logistics executives from brands we've helped to share their journeys – these real-world impacts reinforce our purpose.
I personally stay engaged by scheduling virtual coffee chats with team members across departments. These conversations often yield invaluable insights about our platform capabilities that formal meetings miss. One of our most successful features – regional 3PL matching based on customer concentration – came from a casual conversation with our data team.
Remote work challenges us to be explicit about values that might otherwise be absorbed through office osmosis. We've developed a "Fulfill Fundamentals" document that codifies our commitment to transparency, logistics expertise, and customer obsession.
Ultimately, maintaining culture remotely requires more intention but offers tremendous rewards. The diverse perspectives we gain from a distributed team have been instrumental in helping us better serve eCommerce companies across different geographies and verticals. When your mission is connecting businesses with the right fulfillment partners, that geographic diversity becomes a genuine competitive advantage.
Connect Through Shared On-Road Experiences
Nothing connects you closer to the culture of your company's journey than being literally on the road with your crew—even if you are the owner.
At Mexico-City-Private-Driver.com, I stay current with our culture through something most owners would never do: I drive too! Each month, I also pick up a client, whether it's a diplomat arriving at Benito Juárez Airport or a frantic bride about to get married in Coyoacán. That small act reminds me of precisely what my drivers are going through (the traffic, the precision, the pressure!) and it also reminds my team that I am not isolated from the reality they experience every day.
Because we are operating remotely much of the time (drivers in transit, coordination via WhatsApp and CRM tools), I built our culture on three basic principles: trust, clarity, and human warmth. We don't have team-building Zoom calls. Instead, we share "client win" voice notes after a successful VIP experience, we celebrate personal milestones in a group WhatsApp thread, and we rotate 15-minute one-on-one calls with me each Friday. Each time I ask just one question that recaps everything: "What has made you proud this week?"
That shared practice created one of my all-time favorite moments: a driver told me that he stayed on for an extra 40 minutes to help an elderly client check in to a hotel as he could see that she was traveling alone. I made sure the team heard that story. That is who we are - taking care of our clients goes well beyond the wheel.
Culture is not a poster or a Slack emoji. Culture is how we behave when there is no one watching. And even in our remote existence, we are trying to maintain that spirit - one story, one ride at a time.
Celebrate Real Progress in Unexpected Moments
I stay connected to our culture at Edumentors by showing up in the small moments — the unexpected ones. I'll jump into tutor-student onboarding calls or leave voice notes after a big parent success story. These aren't grand gestures, but they remind the team that what we do matters, and that I'm in it with them. We also have a "student win" Slack channel where we post real progress updates — not metrics, but moments, like a shy student leading a debate for the first time. That's our culture in motion, and celebrating it in real time keeps everyone emotionally aligned, no matter where they are.
Share Micro-Rituals to Sync Personalities
As the CEO and Founder of Thrive Local, my favorite way to stay connected with our culture while working remotely is through something we call "Micro-Ritual Swaps." These are tiny personal habits we share with the team—like morning routines or unique work hacks. Someone might drop a voice note about their "focus playlist for deadline days," and the next thing you know, three of us are trying it the following week!
One of my favorite swaps came from our design lead who shared his ritual of writing one sentence every Friday about something he learned that week. I adopted it, and it has quietly become a touchstone. It's about personality syncing in a space where we can't bump into each other by the coffee machine.
These little rituals make the distance feel smaller. They give us texture—a sense of who we are outside of meetings and task boards. In my view, it's how culture shows up in the margins; that's what keeps me feeling plugged in.
Design Asynchronous Culture Engineering Practices
My favorite way to stay connected with our team culture while working remotely is something we call Asynchronous Culture Engineering. Fancy name aside, it's really about building rituals that reflect who we are, even when no one's online at the same time.
One example: we all record short weekly Loom videos reflecting on a specific company value, like "serve first" or "optimize movement." It's low-pressure, personal, and keeps our values in circulation without forcing fake Zoom energy. We also run Slack micro-rituals like "Fail Forward Fridays" and "Wellness Wins Wednesdays," where small wins and honest flops are shared openly, with no corporate-speak, just real talk.
And yes, we even bond through movement. Our team participates in Hypervibe challenges (think: vibrating planks across time zones). It's silly, sweaty, and surprisingly effective at building trust.
The key is designing culture into the daily flow, not waiting for retreats or meetings to feel connected.
Utilize Frameworks to Enhance Remote Communication
I am a person who is concerned with the application of tools that ensure teams coordinate and work more efficiently, even during remote work. Among the methods I prefer to ensure I am aware of my team's culture and values is using frameworks such as DiSC. It enables all members to appreciate others' communication styles, strengths, and weaknesses, which minimizes misunderstanding and conflict, particularly in a virtual environment.
As an illustration, I was involved in an organization where working remotely was creating discord among group members. We proposed DiSC to ensure that everyone knows their preferences and how to better communicate with each other. It strengthened the bond even when team members were miles apart since they got to understand one another's work style.
I also attend regular check-ins, celebrate achievements, and promote open discussion of values. Occasional efforts are needed to maintain a positive remote company culture because communicating regularly requires purposeful effort. However, it can be done with the proper tools and attitude.
Create Virtual Loreboards for Team Bonding
My favorite: something we call "Virtual Loreboards." Think of it as an evolving digital scrapbook—it's where we pin wins, unusual Slack quotes, and random team trivia.
One of the moments that stuck with me was when someone added a photo of their cat sitting in on a strategy call, captioned "Chief Meowketing Officer." It sounds silly, but it kept the mood light during a heavy sprint and reminded us that we're building WITH each other.
I check the board every Friday. It's kind of like my ritual before logging off. It reminds me of our shared humor, our quirky habits, and why we even enjoy doing this work together.
Maintain Transparency in Remote Work Environment
Building a Culture of Transparency and Accountability Remotely
"Culture isn't about where you sit—it's about how you show up, even when no one's watching."
Incorporating radical transparency in our processes and expectations is my way of keeping the team aligned with Ironton Capital's values when working remotely. We hold regular agenda-driven virtual meetings where everyone has to share their progress, challenges, and lessons learned, no matter how uncomfortable they might feel at times. This helps us create a shared understanding of our goals and reinforces accountability without micromanagement.
We keep our company's culture alive by being obsessive about data-sharing. Trust is always built on information when it comes to managing real estate private equity funds, alternative investments, and accredited investors. We ensure everyone receives a detailed internal report and openly discuss strategic decisions so that the whole team feels equally involved in our success.
In my opinion, remote work has the ability to dilute cultures, but only if you let it do so. Clear communication, shared goals, and mutual accountability have the power to turn distance into alignment. You don't always need ping pong tables and carrom boards to build a thriving culture. Knowledge of the company's mission and awareness of your individual role in it is enough.
Recreate Chance Encounters Virtually
The thing that did the most to help me stay connected despite our remote work environment was taking the initiative to re-create those "chance" encounters we used to have in the office. All of those chats around water coolers, leaning over cubicle walls, or walking in from the parking lot really were the backbone of our culture. By sending little "how are you" messages, I've been able to recreate that a little bit.
