How to make remote work culture as vibrant as any office

Company culture is a bit like a coral reef: unique and changeable, resilient and fragile, all at once. That’s true whether your team shares an office or is on different sides of the world, and remote work culture needs just as much care and attention.

But company culture doesn’t live in free snacks or ping-pong tables. It lives in the way people show up for each other and work together. And in remote teams, that culture isn’t something you stumble into. It’s something you build on purpose.

Remote culture takes a shared commitment to being empathetic humans — even when your “office” is a patchwork of kitchen tables and time zones. It’s about trust, belonging, and creating an environment where people actually want to do their best work.

In this guide, we’ll explore what a strong remote culture really looks like — and how to build one.

Why remote work culture matters

When your team isn’t in the same room, culture doesn’t disappear — it just becomes invisible. That’s why it matters even more.

In a traditional office, culture often happens by default. People pick up on cues from their surroundings: how leaders speak, who gets heard, and who doesn’t. But in remote teams, there are fewer ambient signals. If you don’t define your culture, something else will — usually a mix of miscommunication and quiet disengagement.

A strong remote culture fills that gap. It gives people a shared sense of rhythm and belonging, even when they’re working alone. It builds trust in place of oversight. It makes collaboration smoother, feedback easier, and hard days more bearable.

It also has a very real impact on performance. Teams with a healthy culture don’t just hit deadlines — they speak up and look out for one another. And that pride shows in their work, their relationships, and how they represent your business from wherever they are in the world.

Remote culture isn’t a ‘nice to have’. It’s the invisible infrastructure that holds your team together. When you get it right, people don’t just work remotely — they work connected.

What a thriving remote culture looks like

You don’t need a ping-pong table or a free lunch budget to build a great company culture. But you do need the right conditions, especially when your team is spread out. So, what does a strong remote work culture actually feel like in practice?

Open conversations

In strong remote teams, communication flows easily. People know when to jump on a quick call, when to ping a message, and when to take something up a level. No one’s afraid to ask questions, speak up, or share a wild idea. Respect runs both ways, and transparency is the norm.

Regular check-ins

Remote work doesn’t have watercooler moments — so good teams create them. Whether it’s a weekly video call, or just a midweek message to say “hey, how’s it going?”. Staying in touch helps people feel like they’re not stranded on an island.

Being heard

One-on-one meetings offer a moment to go deep on challenges, and good and bad news. When people feel genuinely listened to, they’re more likely to share ideas and feel part of the bigger picture.

Learning from the past

Great cultures make time for reflection as much as celebration. Post-project debriefs (aka a ‘post mortem meeting’) help teams learn and improve together.

Connection and trust

Teams that like each other trust each other. And trust is rocket fuel for productivity. That’s why the strongest cultures make space for rapport, laughter, and the occasional pet cameo on a Zoom call.

Fun

Whether it’s a shared Spotify playlist or a standing Friday quiz, playfulness helps humanize remote work, reminding people that they’re not just job titles — they’re humans working together.

3 crucial things that underpin remote work culture

A strong remote work culture rests on three core elements:

• The right tools
• The right level of freedom;
• and the right mindset.

In remote teams, tech is essentially the whole office. From chat apps to shared documents and video calls, the tools you choose shape everything about how your team connects and gets things done.

Then there’s flexibility. A major draw for remote work is the freedom to do it your way. But that flexibility only really works when it’s paired with clarity. By setting clear expectations around availability and output, you give people the space to operate in the way that works for them.

And last but not least, there’s the mindset. In remote settings, there’s no watercooler news or spontaneous desk-side advice. That’s why the strongest cultures encourage sharing ideas out loud and trying new things. A curious, flexible mindset is a must.

How to build a strong remote work culture: the building blocks

Great company culture isn’t just something that happens. Sure, you can hire the best people in the world, but if they can’t work well together — or there’s no feeling of belonging to the organization — they’ll be nothing compared to a team of average workers who collaborate well.

Start with trust

Trust is the glue that holds remote teams together. Without it, everything else — communication, collaboration, morale — starts to fray. When people feel trusted, they’re more likely to take initiative and speak up.

“The old rules of what makes a great team still apply, whether you’re a remote team or not. You can’t build a culture if you don’t have trust, accountability, and mutual respect.” – Tracey Halvorsen, Fastspot

That means giving people space to do great work (absolutely no micromanaging, thank you very much). It also means sharing information openly and listening actively.

Get clear on the basics

Remote work means different things to different people — which is why it’s important to spell out what it looks like on your team. Are people expected to be online at certain times? Can they set their own schedules? Will they ever need to travel in, or get a budget for home-office gear?

Answering these questions upfront helps avoid crossed wires later. It also creates a sense of fairness and clarity.

• Do workers need to be available in a certain time zone, regardless of location?
• Which channels should people use for certain messages?
• Do employees need to be online for a certain number of hours per day, or can they build their own schedule?
• Do workers need to visit the office a certain number of times a week, month, or year?
• Do employees get a stipend for their remote work expenses?

Share your company’s vision

People don’t soak up the company vibe from behind a screen. That’s why your vision — the “why” behind what you do — needs to be shared clearly and regularly.

Help your team understand where the company is headed and how their work contributes to the bigger mission. That sense of purpose builds motivation, even when people are logging in from different time zones and potentially missing out on project buzz.

Make it easy to communicate with one another

Communication is a top priority for remote teams. Without it, everything falls apart. Management should be able to communicate company goals effectively, and the business should have a range of ways people can get in contact with each other, including email, phone, video conferencing, and chat apps.

If you’re a manager, make it a priority to help your team members understand the following:

• Which channels they should use to communicate which type of message (email for more formal conversations, chat apps for casual catch-ups, etc.).
• How to use other collaborative platforms, including shared drives, project management software, and virtual whiteboards.
• How to treat each other fairly and overcome different barriers to communication.
• How to work well as a team, including how to share working hours and respond promptly.
• How to follow communication processes, including who to reach out to and who to include in specific discussions.

How to nurture a strong remote work culture

To keep it thriving, you need to actively nurture it and check in regularly.

Be transparent

When it comes to the workplace, mystery and uncertainty are rarely good. It’s important to keep team members in the loop about how the company’s doing, its plans, and any big decisions that might be on the horizon.

Employees must have a broader understanding of where they fit into the business plan and what their colleagues are working on.

A weekly or monthly group chat or message from top management does a lot to help people feel engaged. Virtual project management software can also help managers and team members keep track of each other’s projects and progress.

Encourage feedback

Out of sight, out of mind. When employees don’t see each other in the flesh, it’s easy to sweep things under the rug or struggle in silence. Others may think they need to struggle in silence. Managers need to let team members know their feedback isn’t only welcome, it’s encouraged.

To give useful feedback, be specific and sandwich negatives between positives (remember, you want to motivate people, not destroy them). You can also take advantage of video conferencing software for more serious discussions and chat apps for simple ‘thanks’ and ‘great work’ messages.

Create traditions

Rituals like a Friday team quiz or shared playlists aren’t just fun — they create rhythm and identity, which are vital when teams don’t share a physical space. For starters, you could try the following:

• A Spotify playlist, where every member of the group submits their favorite guilty pleasure — employees can turn on the playlist when they need some music
• A Friday team quiz, which is sent around to everyone on Friday morning to complete throughout the day
• A pizza delivery, where food is delivered to every team member wherever they are in the world. Everyone tunes in to enjoy virtually together
• A beer or mocktail delivered to each individual, which they can enjoy together as part of a virtual Friday drink

Top tip: Team traditions can be great for team building, but don’t be offended if not everyone wants to join. Traditions should be flexible and opt-outable.

Make space for face-to-face meetings

Video calls might never fully replace in-person energy, but they’re still the best way to read tone and build rapport.

If your meetings tend to be audio-only or text-based, you’re missing out on those all-important human signals. That doesn’t mean you should insist on cameras on all the time — neurodivergent people can find them especially draining, and people who wear makeup and style their hair have the added burden of more prep work before going online — but it is smart to have occasional visuals.

Encourage your team to turn cameras on for 1:1s and celebrations. Not to police them, but to connect. Seeing each other’s faces helps reinforce empathy and makes conversations more real.

Embrace playfulness

We’ve all been perturbed by someone’s blunt email, when in fact they were perfectly happy and in a good mood. When we’re chatting face-to-face, we can gauge meaning by the tone of their voice and body language. Take this away, and you’re left with text, which is easily misconstrued.

Adding emojis to your emails helps the recipient gauge the tone more clearly. We’re not saying stuff client emails with them, but what’s a 🤠 or gif between colleagues?

Two things to watch out for

Even with the best intentions, remote culture can unravel if you’re not careful. Two common pitfalls? Isolation and tool overload.

Don’t overlook loneliness

Working remotely has a lot of perks — but it can also get lonely, fast — even for committed introverts. Without casual chats or spontaneous check-ins, it’s easy for people to feel a bit invisible.

That’s where a strong remote culture really makes a difference. Friendly DMs, shared playlists, regular video catch-ups, and group rituals like Friday quizzes help people feel connected. The goal isn’t to mirror office life — it’s to recreate that sense of being part of something together.

Choose tech carefully

Technology is everything to remote teams. So, make sure you have a core selection of platforms that help people get stuff done. The best tools are intuitive and integrated, making collaboration smoother and work easier to track. But remember, there is such a thing as tech overload.

Stick to a curated selection of tools that work for your team, and make sure everyone knows how to use everything. Whether it’s a chat app, a shared drive, or a project management platform like Backlog, the right setup keeps the (remote) world turning.

Final thoughts

Remote culture is something that takes conscious effort. Every process, check-in, laugh, and team win is part of the culture you’re building. And the more intentionally you crack this nut, the more your team will feel the benefits.

Tech isn’t everything. But when your tools are intuitive, it makes communication and collaboration miles easier, which helps to bring remote work to life. Project management platforms like Backlog help make that possible — giving remote teams a shared space to stay aligned and connected, wherever they are. Try it for free today, and see how it can bring your team together!

This post was originally published on April 15, 2020, and updated most recently on July 16, 2025.