One firm which we were invited into had a clear culture which we felt was evident when we walked in the door.  The member of staff who greeted us was warm and friendly, she chatted to us easily as she led us to the office where we were to meet with one of the Directors.  As we walked through the open plan office we sensed that there was an openness, a creativity and a buzz of productivity.  The staff seemed happy and united – we barely spoke to any of them, it was more of a feeling which we picked up on.

Interestingly, when we chatted to the Director he echoed our thoughts about the culture which was created and showed us his measures-of-success chart which incorporated all the people who worked for the company.  In one easy to read document everyone’s contribution was shown – where they are now, where they need to be in 12 months’ time and where they are aiming for in the longer-term period, all in tangible measures.

The Directors worked hard to achieve and maintain this culture within their business, though it’s never completely plain sailing.  The downside in this particular business was geography.  In a second office, located 500 miles to the north, the staff were not feeling quite so engaged in the company culture.  The difficulty of running multisite businesses was evident and while each office developed their own culture, a sense of us and them was also established.

This was a company with a strong culture and sense of purpose but who still struggled with the multi-site unity. It would be interesting to go back after the coronavirus lockdown and see what has changed.  The lockdown has pushed forward a heavier reliance on digital means of communication and in particular, digital meeting spaces such as Zoom, Microsoft Team, Skype and plenty more. How have these impacted multi-site business in terms of culture?  Have they brought the people closer?  What makes the difference between the relationship of those who worked in an office together and those who worked miles apart when they are all separated by social distancing and can only communicate by technology?  Does the distance now seem less apparent or have the same office relationships stayed strong while the physically distant relationships remain weak?