How to Bring The Connection Back: A Step-by-Step Remote Work Culture Guide

Introduction:

So you and your team started working remotely, you saw productivity increase, everyone was thrilled to WFH, no commutes, wearing comfy clothes etc. But then you realised something was missing. It's connection, the one that forms between team members working daily together. 

Workplace culture has never been about beanbags and free coffee; it's about trust, shared purpose, clear communication, and a sense of belonging. This kind of culture has been lost in the Remote Era, and many companies are suffering with low employee engagement and retention as a result of it.

So today we decided to share our expertise in a practical path to rebuilding a thriving remote work culture.

Step 1: Highlight Weak Areas in Your Remote Work Culture

You might be asking yourself "How can I build the best remote work culture for my company?"

The thing is, you can't fix what you don't understand! Before you start on your culture-boosting journey, you have to take the right steps in identifying key issues that are keeping your remote teams feeling isolated and without a sense of belonging. 

Listen actively: Anonymous surveys (e.g., "How connected do you feel?", "What's missing?"). 

Observe: Notice who's quiet in meetings, if cameras are off, if in team or cross department collaboration is slow.

Look for symptoms: High turnover, low engagement in meetings, complaints about communication.

Our platform's insights dashboard helps identify these weak areas with team data, moving beyond guesswork to look at where teams are struggling as a whole when it comes to their collaboration styles. For example, you may have a lot of people who are great at coming up with new ideas, but not many who are able to bridge those ideas together into a plan for the task at hand. 

Step 2: Define Your Ideal Culture

With clarity on problems, define your ideal remote culture. Is it one where certain teams work better together? Or where everyone is more engaged? 

You can also try to think of a time at your current or in a previous role where you felt the most welcome and you witnessed the happiest and most cohesive teams. What was different about then compared to now?

Here are some more points to get you to start thinking about your ideal remote culture environment: 

Adapt Core Values: How do innovation, teamwork, or high engagement look in a remote setting to you? Think about what changes have to be made to boost these values within your current remote setup.

Focus on Key Behaviours: For example, instead of trust, think people share ideas openly without fear. Putting vague values into descriptive sentences can help provoke actionable steps in achieving them.

Get Team Input: Involve your team in defining what a great remote culture means to them. What do they want more of?

Our games are designed to reinforce specific values and behaviours (e.g. Two Truths and a Lie for fun connection and learning about each other, Guess the sketch for a team engagement boost).

Step 3: Prioritise 1-2 Key Areas for Immediate Impact

Don't try to fix everything at once; choose where you can make the biggest difference quickly.

Quick Wins: Maybe it's just "more laughter" or "better cross-team introductions." Quick wins are so important when it comes to boosting remote team culture. Company leaders want to see progress without substantial effort and time resources, so always focus on these first to deliver great results.

High Leverage: Focus on an area that, if improved, will naturally lead to other positive changes (e.g., improving communication often boosts trust). Make this clear when setting out your objectives, so it is obvious for everyone what these activities are specifically leading to.

Consider Team Feedback: What did the surveys in Step 1 suggest as the most pressing need?

Teem Camp allows you to easily target specific areas where your team has room for collaborative growth through insightful personas. 

Step 4: Implement Intentional, Consistent "Culture Deposits"

Culture isn't built overnight; it's built through consistent, small actions.

Short, Regular Check-ins: Not just work updates, but social/connecting moments.

Beyond Meetings: What happens outside of structured work time?

Variety is Key: Mix it up to keep it fresh.

Make it Easy: Remove friction for participation.

This is our sweet spot! Our games are designed for 10-30 minute “remote culture deposits," and our platform is designed for you to get the right game for your team started in seconds, no need for spending time with game choosing or setup, making it effortless to integrate fun and connection into the weekly routine. Highlight specific game examples that are quick and impactful.

Step 5: Measure, Adapt, and Celebrate Progress

Culture building is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Monitor what works and build on the success.

Re-survey/Re-observe: Are the weak areas improving? Is the “ideal remote work culture” getting closer?

Ask for Feedback: How are the new initiatives (like games) being received?

Share Successes: Highlight improvements, individual stories, and team milestones.

Iterate: Be prepared to change tactics if something isn't working.

Our Team Score dashboard tracks teams improvements in a gamified system, allowing teams to “level up” their team cohesion and collaboration.

Conclusion:

Remote work culture is possible and powerful. When we shifted into the Remote Era, we lost our office culture. It’s now time to bring it back in a modern way, using play and fun matched with smart insights to boost culture and drive team engagement. 

P.S. If you would like to save time on team-building setup and gain valuable insights about your teams connection, you can see more info on our platform here: https://www.teemcamp.com/people-leaders