A CULTURE THAT CAN TRAVEL: WHY ENGAGEMENT DEPENDS ON SYSTEMS MORE THAN LOCATION

The strongest cultures today are not tied to buildings. They grow from clearly expressed values, observable behaviors, and communication systems that reinforce identity. They move with employees across locations, schedules, and changing business conditions.

Since COVID, leaders have hotly debated where people should work. I’ve heard reasonable arguments for both remote and co-located models. But what can get lost in those conversations is that culture and workplace model are two distinct decisions.

PEOs see this up close. You’re embedded in the systems that shape employee experience, so you often notice when culture and location decisions become tangled.

It’s important to note that engagement comes from consistent communication, values expressed as behaviors, and the security that comes from knowing what the organization stands for. When those systems are strong, employees feel connected whether they are in-office, at home, or in a hybrid rhythm.

CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION DRIVE ENGAGEMENT

Research continues to confirm that culture drives engagement regardless of workplace model. Gartner’s ongoing studies show that hybrid and distributed teams with clear communication norms report significantly higher engagement and inclusion. When expectations are consistent and transparent, friction drops and performance rises.

McKinsey’s global workforce research reinforces this pattern. Their studies repeatedly identify belonging as one of the strongest predictors of overall well-being. In other words, employees thrive when they understand the organization’s identity and how their work contributes to it.

Gallup’s long-running engagement research quantifies the impact. Highly engaged teams consistently outperform others in productivity, profitability, retention, and customer outcomes. Engagement rises when culture is defined and reinforced.

THREE TRUTHS ABOUT CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION

Over the years, in both brand work and internal communication, I’ve noticed three truths that show up again and again. Values come to life through behaviors, communication carries more cultural weight than most people realize, and belonging grows when those elements show up consistently.

These truths become even more important in distributed environments, where culture must be experienced through interactions and systems rather than physical cues.

1. VALUES COME TO LIFE THROUGH BEHAVIORS

Employees don’t connect with abstract values. They connect with what those values look like in daily work.

• Integrity becomes real when decisions are communicated with transparency and timeliness.
• Collaboration becomes real when drafts are shared early and input is invited.
• Respect becomes real when meetings begin on time and active listening is practiced.

Turning values into desired, modeled, and rewarded behaviors removes ambiguity. It gives employees a shared understanding of what “good work” looks like. And in hybrid or remote environments, where people can’t observe culture through proximity, this clarity is essential.

Without behavioral clarity, values are aspirational phrases instead of actionable realities.

2. “MIXTERNAL” MESSAGING IS COMMUNICATION AS CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Internal communication carries more cultural weight than external branding. Employees experience the organization through the tone, clarity, and consistency of what they hear and experience.

I call this mixternal messaging. It happens when internal communication reflects the same clarity and identity the organization uses externally. It’s not marketing to employees. It’s culture in practice.

Poor mixternal messaging creates confusion and erodes trust. Good mixternal messaging, on the other hand, builds understanding, alignment, and a sense of shared purpose.

Strong mixternal messaging helps employees understand:

• what the organization stands for
• why decisions are made
• how values guide behavior
• how their work connects to the big picture

Communication is one of the most powerful forms of cultural reinforcement, especially when teams are distributed.

3. BELONGING GROWS THROUGH CONSISTENCY

Brand identity doesn’t come from location. It comes from consistency employees can trust.

Employees feel like they belong when they encounter the same values, expectations, and tone across the organization. They feel it when communication is predictable, when recognition reinforces stated values, and when decisions are explained clearly.

Distributed work doesn’t weaken belonging, but inconsistency totally will.

When expectations differ from team to team, or when culture looks different depending on the manager, belonging starts to fracture. Employees begin to question whether the organization’s values truly matter.

Consistency requires systems. Standardized communication practices, onboarding that introduces cultural norms, recognition tied to behaviors, and clear expectations all work together to create a stable environment where belonging can grow.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PEOS

PEOs sit at the crossroads of HR structure, internal communication, and employee experience. You help organizations create the systems that make culture sustainable across locations and work models.

Whether you’re shaping onboarding frameworks, policy communication, manager guidance, or performance practices, you are influencing how culture shows up in the lives of employees.

BUILD CULTURE, THEN DECIDE WHERE WORK HAPPENS

Culture must be established as a system that informs employee engagement. Leaders should define the values and culture first, then decide where work happens.

When culture is built on consistent systems, engagement becomes a reliable outcome. Employees feel connected because the organization’s identity is present in every interaction, not just in shared physical spaces.

Work models will continue to shift, but culture should be a constant. The organizations that thrive will be the ones who build a culture strong enough to succeed in any model.

 

CYNTHIA HAYES
COO, Liger