At FlexTrades, we believe that a strong company culture and meaningful connections are the backbone of our success. Since transitioning to a fully remote workforce, we’ve made it a priority to continually nurture our team’s sense of community and collaboration, regardless of the distance between us. In this blog, we’ll share the strategies and initiatives that help us maintain a thriving culture, foster team engagement, and ensure that every employee feels connected to one another while working remotely.
One of the biggest drivers of this initiative is our Enjoy the Journey Committee. This volunteer group of employees works to create fun and informative experiences for FlexTrades employees year-round. The group meets monthly to plan events and meetings, often centered around monthly or seasonal themes. For February, events will focus on the Superbowl, Valentine’s Day, American Heart Month, National Cancer Prevention Month, and more. In March, there are already learning sessions planned around National Nutrition Month.
The best example of a larger event hosted by the Enjoy the Journey Committee was our annual virtual holiday party. To celebrate, the team sent packages to each employee containing a variety of charcuterie board ingredients and paired beverages to try. We then celebrated during a virtual meeting, where trained sommeliers guided us through the essentials of wine tasting and how to combine the various taste elements of charcuterie for the best flavor experience.
While these events are great, sometimes nothing beats genuine face-to-face connection. That’s why we’ve created at least one day a month where employees can plan to work in person at our new office in Hudson, Wisconsin! Employees are welcome to work in the office whenever they want or need to do so. However, having one planned day each month where people know others will be there to collaborate or simply add some conversation to the workday makes a big difference.
Facing the challenges of fostering connection and company culture through a remote workforce has required a lot of ingenuity from FlexTrades leadership, management, and the Enjoy the Journey Committee. But it’s all worth it to ensure that employees are given plenty of opportunities to connect beyond their computer screens. We at FlexTrades feel as though our efforts are pushing the boundaries of remote work capabilities with this initiative, and we can’t wait to continue redefining what’s possible for both production and people in a remote work environment.
