Office Culture is So 2019: Here’s Why Remote Culture is Taking Over

Gone are the days of pizza parties, mandatory company-sponsored bake-offs, or awkward company-wide happy hours at the local pub. Traditional office culture has gotten a bad rap in recent years, and with good reason – it can be stifling, exhausting, and downright soul-sucking. It’s no wonder that millennial participation in the traditional workforce continues to decline.

There’s a new kid on the block that’s giving office culture a run for its money: remote work. With flexible hours, the ability to work from anywhere in the world, and a more relaxed dress code, remote work is nailing culture in ways that office life never could.

Here are just a few of the reasons why we believe remote work has won the culture war.

What even is company culture?

If you Google “what is company culture?”, you’ll get answers ranging from “clan culture” – one which encourages participation and company-wide commitment to success; to “caring culture”, which values creation of a welcoming environment. Essentially, it’s all the aspects of a company that make it a unique and desirable place to work.

The problem with culture is that many companies try to do all of the above – and they often fail at them all. Culture can’t just be a checkbox that has got to be ticked so it can be listed as a benefit on job postings.

HR at your office job might tell you culture is created by playing awkward icebreakers before a meeting (bonus points if the meeting could have been an email), but in reality, it is so much more than that.

Work-life Balance

What better way to nurture positive culture in the workplace than encouraging your team to have a life outside work. How often have you felt pressured to put in a couple more hours at the office, or nervous to ask for time off?

A culture that encourages work-life balance is a focal point of many remote companies. After all – how many other jobs are there where you can wrap up your work day at 5pm, hop on a flight, and start work the next day in an entirely new country. A culture that promotes work-life balance gives you the opportunity to not wait for vacation time or holidays to take your next adventure.

The Water Cooler Chat vs. Slack

The water cooler chat – those generic “office culture” stock photos weren’t lying, these are actually considered a critical part of office culture. What’s not to love about catching up on the latest office gossip or chatting about your weekend while you fill your Hydroflask.

Save yourself the walk over to the office kitchen. Say goodbye to the water-cooler chat, and say hello to Slack channels. We can only speak for ourselves here at Clevertech, but we take full advantage of being fully-remote, and love sharing our adventures, hobbies, and passions with eachother. With Slack channels for photography lovers, globe trotters, sports enthusiasts and more, you get to join the conversations that you choose to join – consider it your own custom tailored water-cooler chat, for every topic you’re interested in.

A Culture of Trust

Nobody likes their boss breathing down their neck, especially when they’re peeking over your cubicle’s walls (you read that right, some people are still stuck working in cubicles if you can believe it). Remote work relies heavily on a culture of trust – you’re on the team because you’re the best, so your your employers knows that if you’ll say the job will get done, it will be done. Whether it’s trust to try something new, or to work on your own schedule, knowing your company believes in you is a big morale boost and cultivates a positive culture.

Skip the awkward staff parties

Let’s be honest, nobody wants to sacrifice their night for an awkward company wide happy hour, and there are plenty of ways we’d rather spend our holidays than small talk at the office Christmas party,

When you’re remote there’s no need to pull the “I’ve got to pick up my aunt from the airport” excuse to avoid awkward company gatherings – you’re celebrated in the ways you actually want to be celebrated.

For example, Clever Night Out is Clevertech’s way of celebrating as a team, without the meet-up. Our team can take their loved ones out for a night, on our tab. Because let’s face it, you’d probably rather spend a night out with your friends than with Steve from accounting.

Our final thoughts

We may be biased, but remote work is winning the culture department. After being remote first for over 20 years, you can’t blame us when we say we’ll never be going back to the office. If you’re tired of the same-old-same-old of office culture, remote work might be a fit for you.

Think Clevertech is the right place to start your remote-work journey? Drop us a line.