The Impact of Remote Work on Company Culture: An Interview-based Analysis

Purpose: This research explores the impact of remote work on company culture, investigating its effects on employee engagement, trust, company values, and evolving leadership roles. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the study addresses critical challenges in remote work, including reduced supervision, mentoring, motivation, and innovation, alongside increased workplace stressors such as isolation, communication barriers, and blurred work-life boundaries. Design/Methodology: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews (via email, WhatsApp, and video conferencing) and a literature review of journals, case studies, and reports. Qualitative analysis interprets responses and compares the findings with existing literature, providing recommendations for future research. It examines the impact of remote work post-COVID-19 and trends through interviews with 30 international managers, sometimes including middle- or lower-level employees. While focusing mainly on managerial viewpoints, employee input helped ensure managerial perspectives remained central when managers were unavailable. Findings: Remote work fosters flexibility, autonomy, and cost savings but also risks reducing social cohesion, engagement, and cultural identity. Leadership and transparent communication are essential in maintaining trust and fairness, while hybrid models appear most effective in balancing flexibility with collaboration. Although most participants foresee remote work remaining central, its success depends on context, industry, and deliberate culture strategies. Originality/Value: It aims to provide insights for organizations to adjust cultural strategies for maintaining online productivity and collaboration, and to effectively reshape organizational culture for hybrid or fully remote contexts.