Photo courtesy of Tim van der Kuip via Unsplash License.
By Carla Morales
TAMPA, Fla. — Office culture revolves around the collection of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that shape the regular atmosphere in a work environment. This type of culture is what makes businesses thrive nationwide, as there is a community and work ethic behind it.
According to CoWorking Resources, the number of U.S.-based employees who work from home has more than doubled in the past 15 years. Office culture is what helps people bond and create trust within a work environment. As technology rapidly evolves, many jobs have shifted to fully remote, but is this process killing traditional office culture?
According to HRD Connect, 19% of employed individuals work from home full-time. Although this may seem very convenient for many, it can strip away daily interactions that humans must have to flourish.
Being around people on a daily basis and sharing physical space teaches patience and flexibility, something remote work often lacks. The absence of these practices while working behind a screen restricts the sense of community that a group of people can build, which can ultimately affect a business’s profitability or success.
Additionally, as remote work is becoming more popular, people are beginning to avoid in-person jobs. This shift not only limits their ability to develop essential social and collaborative skills but can also cause them to miss valuable opportunities that require face-to-face interaction.
On the other hand, it can also be seen that remote work may not eventually kill office culture. As technology continues to grow, more digital meeting platforms are arising.
The most popular site is Zoom. As Zoom’s mission statement for their customers is to make video communications frictionless, this supports the idea that remote work will not have an effect on office culture.
In addition, office culture often comes from shared goals and values, rather than the shared physical space. The leadership team can help form those shared goals, and when bosses are transparent with their employees, the physical office should not affect the dynamic of the business.
Another factor that ensures office culture will stay strong by remote working is the rise of hybrid working. Hybrid work is a flexible job approach that combines working in an office environment and working from home.
This balance allows workers to maintain their personal flexibility without losing any sense of community and teamwork from in-person interactions. In effect, office culture is not disappearing, but simply adapting.
Ultimately, the rise of remote working has the ability to positively and negatively affect traditional office culture. As technology has made it fairly simple to communicate and collaborate from any part of the world, the absence of daily interaction with humans can change the dynamic of teamwork.
On the other hand, many companies are adopting a new way of working called “hybrid” through technology integration. Whether remote work strengthens or weakens office culture depends on how businesses adapt to these specific changes and prioritize communication, collaboration, and a strong work dynamic.