Ideas for Creating a Remote Work Community

If you run a remote team, this is worth a read. Might be the coolest thing I've seen in ages. (Not perks. Not ai.) Something that makes life a bit better  We have 100s of devs across the Philippines, LATAM - everywhere. Some hybrid. Some fully remote.  Different clients, skills, experience etc Same thing: → Working solo most of the time. Heads down. Sometimes isolated. → Even when in the office. It kept reminding me of founder peer groups like EO, YPO, Hampton - Private forums where founders can share what's going on Talk openly. Share struggles. Help each other. No judgement. But founders aren’t the only ones who need that. Devs feel it too. Everyone does. So we asked: What if our devs had peer forums? Same rules: → No managers or direct team mates → Confidential safe space → Real talk on life and work We piloted it: Small groups (max 8). Same cohort monthly. Format: Share 1 work win + 1 work challenge Share 1 personal win + 1 personal challenge The group picks / votes 2 challenges from the group to deep dive on No advice - just experience-sharing The feedback? → One of the most special things I’ve done → Raw conversations → New real friendships → A safe space to learn and share ideas  What I learned: Peer learning might be the strongest form of learning Connection doesn’t just happen in remote - it has to be intentional Create the structure. Now they run the show They’ve planned their own hike next month I love this stuff. Thought it was worth sharing I think it could work anywhere - across roles, functions, or industries V cool to catch up with the pioneer group just now Danica Julius Darwin Stephanie Trishia Nicole Patricia. We told dad jokes. 🧡 Would love to hear if anyone else is experimenting with community building ideas 👇

Remote work challenge: How do you build a connected culture when teams are miles apart? At Bunny Studio we’ve discovered that intentional connection is the foundation of our remote culture. This means consistently reinforcing our values while creating spaces where every team member feels seen and valued. Four initiatives that have transformed our remote culture: 🔸 Weekly Town Halls where teams showcase their impact, creating visibility across departments. 🔸 Digital Recognition through our dedicated Slack “kudos” channel, celebrating wins both big and small. 🔸 Random Coffee Connections via Donut, pairing colleagues for 15-minute conversations that break down silos. 🔸 Strategic Bonding Events that pull us away from routines to build genuine connections. Beyond these programs, we’ve learned two critical lessons: 1. Hiring people who thrive in collaborative environments is non-negotiable. 2. Avoiding rigid specialization prevents isolation and encourages cross-functional thinking. The strongest organizational cultures aren’t imposed from above—they’re co-created by everyone. In a remote environment, this co-creation requires deliberate, consistent effort. 🤝 What’s working in your remote culture? I’d love to hear your strategies.

8 ways I create a culture of connection with a 90-person remote team: 1️⃣ Weekly coffee roulette across teams to spark bonds 2️⃣ Bi-weekly all hands led by our teams (not leadership) 3️⃣ Friendly competition with movement challenges e.g. daily steps 4️⃣ 10 minutes for a ‘The Weekend Report’ at the start of Monday’s calls 5️⃣ Investing in optional co-working spaces where we have hubs of people 6️⃣ Slack channels for interest groups such as ‘the parents’, ‘the neurospices’ 7️⃣ Investing in-person activities to bond, brainstorm & build lasting memories 8️⃣ An open door policy for new culture-orientated ideas to address team needs Let’s be real… It can be difficult to feel connected to a screen full of faces. But the freedom, flexibility & access to global talent? That’s the undeniable magic of remote work ✨ And we’re committed to creating a virtual space that’s just as vibrant, supportive & inspiring as any office. Where everyone feels seen, heard & truly connected. How do YOU build a great remote culture?👇🏽 ***** ♻️ If this resonated, reshare it with your network. 🩵 Follow me, Radha, for more insights into building a remote team.

Last year, we rolled out an experimental company perk: Ethena employees can expense up to $100/month towards bonding activities with each other. Why? Because even though a good chunk of the workforce has gone remote, employees still crave a sense of community. And as many of us in the HR/People space have had to learn the hard way: *More* virtual happy hours and pizza parties isn't going to cut it. So what's a People professional to do? Explore new and experimental ways to provide the sense of community employees want — while keeping things sustainable for both the People team and the company budget, of course. So how did our little experiment shake out? - The response was instantaneous. All across the company, our location-based Slack channels started pinging with employees eager to organize get-togethers: Dinner, rock climbing, trips to the nail salon for a fun mani-pedi. We've even opened the perk up to virtual bonding activities, i.e. a virtual cooking class with a personal chef. - Our employees are leveraging this perk in exactly the ways we hoped they would. So far, employees all across the US and Canada have met up to: Watch a Broadway play, go out for tapas, spend a day canoeing — and more! - The sense of camaraderie and inspiration around this perk has been incredible to watch. People are sharing pictures of their meetups on Slack, getting others excited about arranging get-togethers for their own local groups, and showing us as a company the many, varied ways of building team culture and employee satisfaction. And before you ask: No, we're not overly prescriptive about it. If the money is going towards hanging out with someone (or several someones) at the company, we tell our employees to go ahead and expense it. Although this is just one of many efforts we've continued to make towards fostering a sense of community at work, it's one that has stood out for the flexibility it allows employees to connect in the ways that work best for them without requiring an incredible lift from the People team. What are your favorite ways of building community at work?