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March 22, 2021 Experts corner

The challenges of building a brand inside, when your employees are outside

By Bill Field

The dynamics of having a work-from-home strategy thrust upon companies by COVID-19 are far-reaching, with the impact sure to be felt for years to come.

While attention is focused on determining the most advantageous office/work-from-home strategy going forward, the implication on workforce culture is being relegated to a second thought.

A great company culture is really the manifestation of the brand from an “inside” perspective. Every brand must have a reason to believe and a reason to belong.

It begins at the very core of an enterprise with the employees. They deliver daily on the brand positioning and exude the brand personality across every engagement.

 

Bill Field

In essence, employees are the ultimate brand ambassadors.

“Brand inside” culture dynamics

It is often said that great cultures are built from within. You can’t just wishfully say that you’re a team; you become a team when everyone buys in working toward a common purpose.

Culture is the manifestation of the brand from an inside-out perspective. Great company cultures have been able to stay together throughout the pandemic based upon the foundation that’s already been embedded.

Relationships built over time have easily transitioned to Zoom and Microsoft Teams online platforms. This fabric of culture connection continues to bind companies together, but is beginning to show cracks. It’s not going to last forever.

The absence of relationship-building opportunities

Increasingly, people are tiring of online platforms as their primary source of engagement, both personally and professionally. This is especially true in professions such as the communications and advertising worlds where group collaboration is an important component of the creative process.

The exhilaration felt when ideas come together is lost virtually. The ability to truly connect with everyone is too often missing in the online world. Building relationships online feels contrived and forced.

Onboarding challenges

Going forward, with people increasingly working from home, onboarding presents one of the greatest challenges that those who are charted with building and enhancing strong cultures face over the next couple of years.

Absent the ability to fall back on relationships that are already in place, new employees face a daunting task to become part of the “team.” You run the risk of them feeling like they’re alone on an island.

Sending swag to employees in remote locales in the form of T-shirts, mugs and hats doesn’t cut it. Culture is a feeling that leads to a sense of belonging. Internal communications can’t do it all.

Missing spontaneous bonding probabilities

In an office environment, opportunities for bonding develop naturally on a daily basis. Many times these situations were totally transparent and unrehearsed as people were at ease.

They happen in a client meeting or on a business trip where conversations occur organically. You learned about each other and your families. It may sound simple, but it is sorely missed

The old culture playbook can’t be trusted

How the future of work-from-home, hybrid, or the office unfolds in the next year or two is anyone’s guess. Economics are going to be a strong motivator in the decision-making process in reducing office space. The same holds true with employees wanting to work exclusively from home.

There are many dynamics at play.

The issue of what a strong culture means to a company’s future success doesn’t have the same level of importance.

What worked in the past can’t be counted on to be successful in the future. Too many companies want to set a culture and forget it. Culture is the “brand inside.” It lives and breathes every day. It needs to be nurtured continually in order to thrive.

COVID-19 has changed the office landscape in many far-reaching ways. Companies run the risk of not putting the energy and financial commitment behind culture-building efforts.

A percentage of leaders think of culture initiatives as being “soft.” With a workforce spread out across the state, region and country, there needs to be a common bond that links everyone back to the company.

That’s where the brand inside comes into play. Great brands always have great cultures.

Bill Field is the founder of FieldActivate, a Connecticut-based marketing firm.

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