Kiwi Workers Rate Their Company Culture Better Now Than In Pre-pandemic Times

More than two-thirds[1] of New Zealand workers rate their employer’s company culture better than in pre-pandemic times, according to a recent survey by Frog Recruitment.

And it’s most likely because Kiwis are lapping-up the flexibility of working from home, with 77% of workers surveyed saying increased remote working options have changed the culture of their organisation - for the better - since March last year.

The online poll by Frog Recruitment of 369 employees working in health, law, finance, manufacturing, education and transport sectors, highlights the importance of a positive virtual culture, and how many New Zealand businesses have overcome the challenge of maintaining a company culture despite the absence of workers physically showing up at the office every day - and fewer personal interactions at the water cooler.

Shannon Barlow, Frog Recruitment Managing Director says Covid forced businesses to re-evaluate how to convey and maintain their organisation’s culture, virtually.

“Company culture is the vital hum of your organisation – it’s the what, why, who and how of your business. The other W is ‘where’; and when this is absent, how do you maintain the shared experiences of your workforce working apart, meeting only in video calls?

“Maintaining a solid company culture during the lockdowns helped organisations keep their workforce engaged, which went a long way to overcome challenges the pandemic presented and those that did, were more likely to have achieved business success. A savvy employer knows that a well-defined and an embraced company culture can help them recruit and retain the best talent for their business. It can also help to prevent any potential performance problems amongst the team.

“Conversely, a weak virtual culture can cause employees who work remotely to feel less connected to their colleagues. In those cases, we have seen employees’ work performances suffer,” says Barlow.

While every organisation has its own cultural DNA, and there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to create, grow or maintain a virtual culture, Frog Recruitment has three tips for creating a company culture that is as relevant and important to those working inside the office as it is to those working remotely:

• Take time to understand what makes each team member tick. Everyone has their own challenges working from home and checking in with each person builds a culture of understanding and trust.
• Let everyone in your team know they matter to you and the company, and show it. It could be a gesture such as a small gift for their desk at home that connects them with their remote colleagues – a plant to green-up their desk space, some lovely stationery or ear pods. Create a company play list of favourite tunes with the whole team’s input, for people to listen to while they work. Share any positive feedback you receive with your remote workforce, and not just at review time. And create virtual events or gatherings so your team can stay connected outside of work. These could be a coffee over Zoom or the always popular quiz night.
• As a manager, it’s important that you always act with intention so that everyone in your business knows how to communicate with each other to create the culture your company is striving for. For those working remotely, it’s important that they receive regular feedback.

“We know from the survey that working from home has had a positive effect on company culture (70%) and as we are some time away from seeing an end to the pandemic, it’s not too late to build a remote company culture,” says Barlow.

“To give your organisation what it needs to weather the storm, a strong virtual culture is vital to keep your team engaged and productive - and is more important than ever.”

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