If you’ve ever worked in an office where Friday lunches, inside jokes, and those quirky team traditions felt like glue holding everyone together, you’ve probably wondered: How does any of that survive when a company goes remote — or even global?
It’s a fair concern. Expanding from a cozy local team to a truly distributed workforce often sparks a fear that culture will vanish into the void of time zones and Slack threads. But here’s the truth: culture doesn’t live in the break room. It lives in people. And with a little care, intention, and creativity, you can take culture global without watering it down.
Let’s break it down.
1. Redefine What “Culture” Really Means
Culture isn’t just office perks. It’s the way people communicate, solve problems, celebrate wins, and support each other. Whether your team is in Dhaka, Dubai, or Denver, those things can still flourish.
Take GitLab, for instance. They’re fully remote with over 2,000 employees across 60+ countries. Yet they’re famous for having one of the strongest company cultures in tech. How? They don’t rely on casual hallway moments. Instead, they document everything, over-communicate, and make values the North Star of decision-making.
2. Keep Rituals Alive (and Invent New Ones)
Local teams thrive on traditions. Distributed ones need them even more. A Monday stand-up might move to Zoom. Birthday cakes might turn into digital gift cards and a virtual karaoke session (yes, those exist and yes, they’re hilarious).
When Shopify expanded globally, they doubled down on rituals like “Ask Me Anything” sessions with leadership. Employees anywhere in the world could jump in, ask questions, and feel heard. That’s culture — at scale.
3. Storytelling as a Glue
One underrated tool for culture is storytelling. When people share their “why” — why they joined, what they care about, or even funny mishaps in their workday — it humanizes teams.
At Zapier, employees write “Pair Buddies” updates after informal chats with coworkers. These stories circulate internally, and guess what? People who’ve never met in person suddenly feel like teammates, not strangers.
4. Balance Flexibility With Shared Anchors
Culture is fragile when time zones don’t overlap. To combat this, distributed teams often set a few “anchor hours” where everyone is available.
Automattic (the company behind WordPress) has mastered this by blending async communication with periodic global meetups. Their culture thrives because they balance independence with intentional moments of togetherness.
5. Celebrate Wins Loudly (Even the Small Ones)
Recognition is oxygen for culture. When teams go global, achievements can easily slip under the radar. A simple shout-out on Slack or a quarterly “culture awards” event can go a long way.
A fintech startup in Singapore shared how their remote Scrum Master in Eastern Europe started a #kudos channel. Soon, it wasn’t just managers praising — peers did too. Now it’s one of the most active spaces in their company Slack.
6. Let Culture Evolve, Don’t Freeze It
The biggest trap? Trying to preserve culture like a museum piece. Global teams bring new perspectives, humor, and traditions. Let them shape the culture. Think of it as adding chapters to your company story rather than rewriting it.
Wrapping Up
Going from local to global doesn’t mean losing culture. It means choosing to build it, together, in new ways. The hugs and hallway chats might disappear, but the sense of belonging doesn’t have to.
When done right, a distributed workforce becomes a melting pot of values, rituals, and creativity — something stronger than what existed in one office. Culture doesn’t shrink when it goes global. Done thoughtfully, it expands.
