Real Ways that Building an Emotionally Supportive, Remote-First Culture Pays Off 

Most of us 40-and-above tech workers are not in the habit of crying at work.  It can feel unprofessional, perhaps showing “weakness” in an industry or in leadership roles where few admit self-doubt.Tech rock stars often project a swaggering “ask for forgiveness rather than permission” attitude that leaves no room for emotional vulnerability. 

Indeed, ever since the Great Resignation there’s been a push by employers to move in the opposite direction; to “make employees happy” for the sake of productivity, essentially the business’ bottom line. At a deeper level, beyond simply keeping employees “happy” so they stay productive for the company’s sake, it’s been empirically demonstrated that the more supported people feel at work, the less likely they are to be burnt out and leave for other jobs. And apparently, the beneficial effects of this are even greater for remote work. 

And yet, working remotely can make openness even harder than usual, as many of us experienced during the pandemic. The lack of in-person connection to others takes a toll. Similarly, remote work – and the aforementioned rock star culture - can make emotional vulnerability much harder. And I believe that lack of vulnerability can and does prevent teams from building the strong bonds that help employees feel connected and happy at work. 

At Mutations, a remote-first company since its inception in 2016 that I helped to grow as Managing Director of Services & Strategy, our team made the intentional effort to hold space for emotional openness and vulnerability, and it felt more connected than many in-person jobs I’ve had. Crying, for example, wasn’t encouraged at Mutations. But it was supported and accepted, along with expressing other emotions, admitting vulnerability, and sharing personal mental health status. Our company culture was to accept everyone – staff and clients alike – for who they are on a given day. 

So how did we create this culture? Here are some of the strategies my team and I employed to build a mutually supportive culture and workplace: