Organizational Culture Handbook

A culture handbook is a living, breathing, authentic snapshot of an organization’s culture that captures values, behaviors, and artifacts. Typically, culture is implicitly communicated among teams, but in a remote work environment, a handbook goes a long way to call out the details of mission, values, goals, and culture – removing the guesswork and improving inclusivity.

USE THIS IN ORDER TO…

  • Provide new employees with a jumpstart on what your organization values and how employees work together.

  • Demonstrate the organization’s commitment to creating a strong internal culture.

  • Make values and behaviors visible, explicit, and inclusive.


KEY COMPONENTS

  1. Clearly define your organization’s mission (the reason your company exists) and the impact you want to have on the world.

  2. A values statement acts as a guide for how the organization gets work done.

  3. Share goals and priorities so that employees can make independent decisions that align with your business strategy.

  4. Capture your company’s unique culture with values and traditions that are true to your team (and not adopted just because they sound good).


CONSIDERATIONS FOR REMOTE IMPLEMENTATION

  1. Include content about what makes a remote work culture unique and how the organization leverages the use of intentional and thoughtful remote work practices to empower inclusiveness and equity.

  2. Integrate the handbook into your onboarding practices so that new employees can start to understand your organization’s culture and practices from the beginning.

  3. Insert your values. Craft your culture handbook around your organization’s values and leverage them to be the driving force behind the cultural routines and procedures you prioritize.


ARTIFACTS & RESOURCES

“Our handbook is another way we celebrate who we are and codify cultural practices.”

– Bianca Dávila, The Learning Accelerator