Creating a positive team culture is such a critical part of running a successful business. Strong team culture is directly tied to high performing employees and low turn-over.  

Now, we know you’re busy and may not have tons of time to dedicate to team culture … which is why we’re sharing an easy hack that our team uses every day. It doesn’t take long, and it doesn’t cost any money.

By the way, the article below is a summary of a recent episode of “Uncapped Notes”, our YouTube show that demystifies the world of VC and startups. If you prefer to watch, you can find the full episode here.

Sharing wins in the workplace

Many years ago, we created a Slack channel called “Team Shoutouts.” The idea behind this channel was simple. See, the Hustle Fund team of approximately 30 people is completely remote.

Each of those 30 people work incredibly hard… both on our own projects and supporting one another. But it became difficult to amplify all of that good work and showcase the good work being done.

So, the “Team Shoutouts” Slack channel was born. This is a dedicated space to recognize each other’s work, no matter how large or small. We encourage people to tag team members on this channel and write shoutouts to recognize the work happening across the entire Hustle Fund team.

This may sound kind of trivial or not like a true hack, but trust me – this is easily the favorite Slack channel for everyone at Hustle Fund (and one they don’t mind receiving notifications from).

Keep it simple

The premise is simple – teammates should celebrate other teammates for no other reason than to make them feel seen, valued and appreciated. Gratitude begets more gratitude. Who doesn’t love feeling that way, especially at work?

And you don’t have to carve out a chunk of time from your busy day to respond to each and every shout out, either. A simple emoji reaction like a heart or a thumbs up goes a long way.

This is a no-brainer, folks. Adding this channel to your team’s Slack channel or communication thread will yield big results in terms of team morale. We encourage all founders and all teammates to have a version of this so their teams can feel celebrated and appreciated every day.

And who doesn’t love seeing their name in print … errr on screen. You get the idea. Everyone loves a good shout out.

We are ALWAYS looking for inspiration on how to make teammates feel seen and heard. Got a suggestion? Hit reply and tell us about it.

Anna Claire Howard is the interim operating manager for The Founder Playbook while Kera is OOO. She is also the editor of a nonprofit magazine. When she’s not writing or editing newsletters for Hustle Fund, you can find her wrestling with her three dogs, playing with her son, or chasing chickens around her backyard. Connect with her on LinkedIn here.