‘Everyone is welcome’: Building a company culture that bridges cities and continents

Voyage is proud to create a workplace culture that heralds the sentiment ‘everyone is welcome’. While we’ll be the first to acknowledge this is a ongoing journey and we’re always looking for ways to improve, we’ve also learnt a lot along the way and champion our expert team that have picked up their own tips and tricks. Here we’ll explore how we build a company culture that bridges cities and continents, and why this approach is integral to our growth and future success.

One team, one focus, many voices

At Voyage, we pride ourselves on being a global company that understands the importance of diversity - both in geography and perspective. Our team stretches beyond the borders of Christchurch, encompassing talent from all corners of the world. While our headquarters might be based in New Zealand, the value we place on diverse voices, skill sets, and experiences is what makes our team stand out from the crowd.

Creating a culture that’s welcoming to all doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intention, open communication, and a constant effort to ensure that every voice is heard, regardless of where an individual is physically located. We’re always open to having ‘real’ conversations and sharing a laugh. While ultimately we have a job to do, what makes our team stronger is the intention to break down the boundaries so easily built up in a professional context. From the beginning, we’ve adopted a mindset that differences and distance should never create barriers to collaboration, connection and growth.

Embracing the remote work revolution

The rise of remote work in the past few years has reshaped the way companies approach hiring and team building. Gone are the days when teams were confined to a single office, and collaboration was limited to in-person meetings. Now technology enables us to work alongside people from different cities, countries, and even continents. At Voyage, we jumped on this wave right from the start. It just made sense, and allowed us to tap into a much larger talent pool and form teams that reflect diverse perspectives and are heavyweights by way of technological skill.

And yet, we’re the first to acknowledge that working across multiple time zones and unique needs can present its own challenges. This is why team building requires not only flexibility but also intentional efforts to maintain connection and foster a sense of belonging. For us, this is where our ‘everyone is welcome’ mantra truly comes to life.

Building a culture of inclusion across borders

One of the first steps in creating an inclusive, welcoming culture that includes people in and out of the main HQ is ensuring that all team members have equal access to communication and collaboration tools. We use whatever works best - be that Slack channels, video calls, or Google Drive and shared documents.

But technology alone isn’t enough to bridge the gap between cities and continents. A welcoming culture thrives on human connection. This is why we prioritise regular check-ins, not just about work, but about each of us - celebrating milestones, acknowledging birthdays, and creating space for stories, wins and trying times. This allows us to understand each other as people. We’ve learned that a strong sense of belonging doesn’t just come from getting work done together, but from a sense that you are accepted exactly as you are.

Our team is a testimony to how genuine diversity also leads to better outcomes for our clients. In addition to remote working, our team is a diverse mix of backgrounds, interests and personalities. Beyond the likes of ethnicity or gender, our team is made up of those raised in bustling urban centres right through to remote towns, people who’ve traveled extensively or are a self-professed homebody, people who love theatre or gaming, love early mornings or the dead of night, are extroverted or prefer to remain quiet, and much more.

When our people feel at ease to be themselves and share from their own unique point of view, client projects are richer as an open mind is more likely to realise clever solutions.

As Matt says, “I like feeling useful and solving problems for people. I enjoy being efficient and removing barriers to efficiency, whether that's streamlining (or ideally entirely removing) meetings, sharing/reusing solutions, reducing the steps a client needs to take to configure something in a CMS, or not boiling more water in the jug than I need for my cup of tea.”

Looking ahead: A culture of continuous growth

At Voyage, we understand that building a culture of inclusion and belonging is a continuous journey, not a destination. While we’re proud of the strides we’ve made in fostering a remote work environment that bridges cities and continents, we know there is always room for growth. We’re committed to listening to our team, gathering feedback from our broader networks, and adapting our processes to ensure we’re always evolving to meet the needs of our diverse workforce.

As Phillip says, “Values and inspiration change as you get older, but I am finding myself more socially aware and wanting to make difference. I would like to make sure the world is in a better place when my children take over. I would like to make sure people who don’t have a voice are listened to. But most importantly, I want to make sure my children learn from me to be empathetic, listen to others and help when they can.”

As we continue to expand and welcome new team members from around the world, there’s no doubt we’ll still remain steadfast in our belief that ‘everyone is welcome’, no matter where they’re located or where they came from. We’ll keep building a company culture that celebrates diversity, embraces remote collaboration, and fosters meaningful connections. After all, when everyone feels welcomed, valued, and heard, the possibilities for success are endless.