Remote but not removed: How to build a team culture without an office

Globe and Mail

28-05-2025

What does team culture look like when your company has no physical office? For Kensington Grey, a Toronto-based influencer management agency, it means making connection intentional. Every month, the company gathers for two days of brainstorming and bonding – part strategy, part social reset.
'We have our departmental meetings and opportunities for everybody to share ideas. And then we usually go out for drinks or something like that after work,' says president and CEO Shannae Ingleton Smith.
Making an effort to create those ties is especially important to Ms. Smith as Kensington Grey's team of 63 all work remotely. The team of 63 all work remotely. The company accesses their temporary headquarters via Flexday, which matches companies with well-resourced private office spaces.
Ms. Smith, who formerly worked in media sales at Rogers, launched Kensington Grey in 2019. She got the idea after coming across a Facebook group advising aspiring influencers, and recognizing that a budding creator economy was taking shape.
To thrive, many startups like Ms. Smith's, as well as established companies, are re-thinking their HR strategies to forge tighter employee communities. That can be challenging in the era of remote or hybrid work. According to an April 2025 global survey of workers in 40 countries, Canadians work from home more days than workers in any other country.
But are those remote days creating real connection? Justin Raymond, founder of Flexday, sees a palpable difference in sentiment when teams return to an office on their terms and cadence. 'They're so excited to be back together, but they don't want to do it permanently.'
With Flexday, companies can access the familiar office setup, complete with workstations, meeting rooms, private spaces and a kitchen. 'It's exactly what they knew and are used to. So they can just get back into that mode, but they're paying by a credit card, not a long-term lease,' says Mr. Raymond.
Intentional gatherings are a way to get a 'shot of connection' that has lingering team benefits, says Sacha Connor, founder of the U.S. remote-work consultancy Virtual Work Insider. Ms. Connor, who has worked with enterprises such as Under Armour, Sephora and Toyota, says a major current challenge is getting employees on the same page.
'When I get brought in, I see a lot of individuals transacting with each other versus operating and collaborating as a team.' She adds that defining goals and work styles together and openly can help each staff member feel like they belong. 'Team-working agreements actually create trust.'
For large companies with teams in multiple time zones, this can be as simple as getting them to map out their locations and schedules. 'It's a foundational exercise,' says Ms. Connor, one that can contribute to a team spirit.
Kensington Grey finds a way to build micro-communities in other ways, such as reallocating savings gained from having no office into a travel budget. Pairs or small groups of employees visit with clients across North America, building business and their own work relationships.
Ms. Smith knows too that meetings can overtake the day. Since early 2025, she's implemented a no-meeting policy on one morning a week, dubbed 'Thoughtful Thursdays.' 'It's an opportunity to recharge mentally while still working,' she explains.
She says Kensington Grey has aimed to be an inclusive employer, and sees newer work arrangements as something that empowers staff to have ownership over their day.
'In the pre-pandemic world there was a false perception that your employer owns you,' says Smith. 'It [remote or hybrid work] just makes it more of a balanced exchange between the employer and employee relationship that results in overall well-being increasing for employees. Community is one of our biggest strengths despite being a remote company.'