A positive company culture is important in any workplace and aids in the
well-being of employees and the business. It is unique to each company but is often only thought about in those with a physical office. However, creating and maintaining a positive culture is just as important in remote working environments. 

What is positive workplace culture and why is it important?
A positive workplace culture comes in many forms. It could be a simple birthday message right through to feeling supported in your role. Whilst establishing this in office spaces is often easier, it is just as important, if not more, for remote companies. Remote work can often be isolating, and establishing a positive workplace culture is imperative in easing this feeling. Positive culture looks different for remote companies, but here are some things we do at AssuranceLab to maintain our company culture. 

The backing behind it all 
Creating a company culture isn’t all about birthday cards or office drinks. It’s important to look at the underlying values of a company that drive the workplace culture. At AssuranceLab we are big on working towards our values every day, and we encourage the team to work to these values in their personal and work life. 
The values we hold close to our hearts: 

• Our people are our greatest asset: This is our number one value for a reason. We make a conscious effort to put the wellbeing of our staff above all else. Without our amazing team, we would not have the company we do today. 
• We’re courageous and candid: This creates a safe space for all team members to take a leap in their professional and personal lives. 
• We are trailblazers: This value highlights the importance of learning, development and experimenting. No matter the idea, we are open to all team members sharing their thoughts and we create a safe space to do so. 
• We are human: Recognising the importance of vulnerability creates a space where all employees feel safe to express their thoughts. We emphasise that vulnerability is the key to our success as a company. 
• We care about our impact: This covers our impact on each other, the company and the community. We believe that everyone has an impact on our culture, no matter their role. 

The fun stuff - how we achieve a positive culture 

Once you have your values and cultural goals set, there are endless ways you can work towards achieving them. These will be dependent on time, monetary, location and other factors. At AssuranceLab we believe that these tactics don’t always have to be about work, that is why we also implemented tactics with a personal element. 

• Special event cards: Who doesn’t love a card? Knowing that someone took the time to write you a birthday message or a get-well note, can often have a huge impact on one's day. That is why we do birthday cards, get-well cards and other life event cards for everyone.
• Friday catch-ups: Establishing a community in our remote environment is important, but can often be challenging. That is why we have Friday wind-ups and wind-downs. These alter each week to cater for our overseas employees. Each week a different team is in charge of running a fun activity (guess the pantry or hot takes etc) to spark a general chat that is not about work. We also encourage the team to set time aside for general chats with other employees.
• Bonusly: recognising the team’s efforts can often be hard when you are not in an office to hear the general praise.  That is why we implemented Bonsuly, a platform where each team member can shout out and give kudos points to anyone in the team. We encourage this to not only be about work but anything they have done to make someone’s day better. 
• Offsites: This is always a highlight for the team each year. We understand the importance of face-to-face connection so each year we hold two offsites, where everyone comes together for a week of planning, to catch up and most importantly have fun. 
• Weekly gratitude: Each Wednesday we hold a round of gratitude where the team share work and/or personal gratitude. This creates gratitude within the team and in everyone’s personal lives. 
• All-hands: We hold monthly company-wide update meetings. Whilst this task is more formal it keeps everyone on the same page. These meetings are transparent and give insights to all employees on the direction the company is heading in. 
• AMA channels: We have an anonymous ask-me-anything channel for all questions to the executive team. This creates a space where any question can be asked and provides a space where people do not have to put their names to it. 

Maintaining our company culture is incredibly important to us, and while we implement the above, we are constantly looking at ways to improve or other new initiatives. Depending on your business’s internal and external factors some of the above might not work, but the most important thing is to make sure no matter your goals or circumstances, the business and every employee are working towards creating a positive culture.