The Remote Work Revolution: Matthew Meadows of WorkStory On Building Strong Cultures in a Digital World
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Teams that communicate well internally create better experiences externally, whether through stronger client relationships, more thoughtful service, or a product that reflects a team’s best work.
The remote work revolution has transformed how we think about work, but it has also raised important questions about maintaining culture and connection in a virtual world. To explore this important topic, we are interviewing Matthew Meadows.
Matthew Meadows is the founder of WorkStory, a performance management platform that streamlines the performance review process and builds stronger workplace cultures. Through hands-on experience with HR leaders across industries, Matthew has seen what truly drives engagement and retention. Focused on making performance reviews more effective and less of a burden, Matthew helps organizations create feedback-driven cultures that lead to real growth for both the employee and the organization.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I’ve always been passionate about helping people do their best work, but my perspective on performance reviews really shifted when I was managing a team at a creative agency. I saw firsthand how the traditional review process wasn’t serving anyone. It felt like a box-checking exercise.
That experience made me realize this wasn’t just an issue in one company or one industry. It was a universal problem. After working closely with HR leaders and seeing their frustrations firsthand, I knew we were onto something.
That’s what led me to create WorkStory.
Instead of treating performance reviews as a once-a-year obligation, I wanted to help companies build a culture of continuous feedback — where employees feel supported, managers have real insights, and leaders can make informed decisions.
It’s been incredible to work with so many teams and see how the right approach turns into overall team success.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working with remote or hybrid teams?
I was talking with a large company and couldn’t believe they were still managing performance reviews on paper. With a hybrid team, that meant a messy, time-consuming review process — one that certainly wasn’t aligned with how the team was operating otherwise.
Once we were able to get them set up, employees were sharing hundreds of pieces of feedback daily, and when review time came, they cut their review time in half.
It was a perfect reminder that organizations are still trying to figure things out when it comes to remote/hybrid work and that a small adjustment can go a long way.
You are a successful leader in the remote work space. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Adaptability, trust, and clarity have been the biggest factors in making remote work actually work.
Adaptability has been crucial because no two teams operate the same way. I worked with a company that was struggling to keep their hybrid team engaged. Instead of forcing a rigid structure, they experimented with more frequent, lightweight check-ins. Almost immediately, team morale improved, and communication gaps started to close.
Trust is what makes remote teams thrive. I’ve seen companies try to monitor and track, only to create resentment. But, if you can let go a little bit, and trust employees to get the work done as needed, you might just see output increase and moral go through the roof.
Clarity prevents confusion from slowing teams down. One company I worked with had employees constantly second-guessing expectations because communication was lacking. When they introduced a more standardized process, similar to the SMART goal framework, alignment improved and performance followed.
Let’s now dive into the focus of our interview. When the shift to remote work became widespread, what was the biggest challenge you faced in maintaining a strong workplace culture? How did you address it?
The biggest challenge was keeping teams connected in a way that felt real. Without the little moments of in-person work — hallway chats or even small talk before meetings — culture started feeling more forced.
I worked with a company where engagement started slipping, and people felt like they were working in silos. Their solution wasn’t more meetings. Instead, they built small, intentional touch-points into their day-to-day — quick check-ins that weren’t just about work, a habit of sharing feedback regularly, and spaces where people could connect without an agenda.
Once those small interactions became routine, everything changed. Employees felt like part of a team again, not just people working in the same Slack or Teams workspace.
What are some of the unique challenges that remote or hybrid teams face when it comes to creating a sense of connection and belonging?
One of the biggest challenges in this area is that recognition often gets lost. In a remote setting, great work isn’t always visible, and without regular interactions or feedback, employees can feel overlooked.
The best teams solve this by making recognition a habit, whether through quick shoutouts or simply acknowledging contributions in everyday conversations.
What tools or technologies have you found most effective in fostering communication, collaboration, and team alignment in a remote setting?
There are plenty of great tools out there for remote teams, but at the end of the day, it’s less about the tool and more about how you use it.
Slack and Teams are great for conversations, project management tools like Asana and Notion can keep everyone aligned, and tools like Loom or Vidyard can make it easier to asynchronously share more complicated ideas.
That’s a big thing when it comes to remote…not all messages need to be responded to immediately. We don’t work like that in-person so why should we expect anything differently in a hybrid/remote setup?
Also, I have to be a little self-serving here — our platform, WorkStory has been a game-changer for teams looking to build a stronger feedback culture and save on time when it comes to performance reviews. So many hybrid companies struggle with reviews because feedback is scattered or forgotten.
WorkStory solves that by making feedback continuous, structured, and easy to track, so teams aren’t scrambling to remember what happened six months ago.
The best tech stacks are made up of great tools but, more importantly, they help people connect seamlessly.
What role does leadership play in building and sustaining a strong company culture in a remote or hybrid work environment?
In remote/hybrid environments, it’s critical that leadership isn’t just about setting expectations, it’s also about setting the example. When separated geographically, a workplace culture doesn’t build itself. If leaders don’t prioritize this, it won’t happen naturally.
When leaders actively model the behaviors they want to see, everything changes. From how they talk, to how and when they set meetings, even in areas like PTA, strong leadership shapes how others feel about their work.
The right habits at the top create a culture where employees feel values and connected to the work they’re doing — keeping them motivated and keeping turnover low.
What advice would you give to leaders who are struggling to maintain employee engagement and motivation in a fully remote workforce?
Start by making engagement a habit, not an initiative. Too often, leaders try to fix disengagement with big programs when the real solution is in the daily interactions.
Things like regular check-ins and genuine recognition make a bigger impact than one-off events or forced virtual bonding.
Also, don’t assume silence means everything is fine. In a remote setting, employees who feel disconnected won’t always speak up. Purposefully create a space for honest conversations — either in your meetings or through anonymous surveys. You need to get the voice of the employee directly.
Additionally, relating to the previous questions, engagement starts at the top. If leaders aren’t visibly invested, employees won’t be either. Show up with the energy you expect of the team and they’ll do the same.
Ok, let’s explore actionable insights. Based on your experience, can you share “5 Strategies to Build a Strong Workplace Culture in a Remote Work Environment”? If you can, please include examples or stories for each.
- Make Feedback a Daily Habit — Growth isn’t a once-a-year event. The most engaged remote teams I’ve seen don’t wait for annual reviews to provide feedback. I’ve seen tons of companies make this small but powerful shift — managers start giving quick feedback in the moment rather than saving it for formal check-ins. As such, employees feel more supported and their performance improved across the board.
- Recognize and Celebrate Wins Publicly — Without the casual recognition that happens in an office, remote employees can feel invisible. Some of the most effective teams make recognition a habit — whether it’s a quick shoutout in Teams, a “win of the week” in meetings, or a structured peer recognition program. When employees feel seen, they stay motivated.
- Keep Communication Clear and Intentional — Not having in-person conversations can quickly lead to misalignment. Many remote organizations struggle with communication overload or, worse, a lack of clarity. If you’ve ever relied on Slack or Teams, you probably know what this looks like. The teams that navigate this best use structured async updates — things like quick videos or documented expectations/goal-outcomes — to keep everyone on the same page.
- Build Connection Beyond Work Tasks — Engagement comes from the connection to the work but also from coworker relationships. Some of the strongest cultures we’ve seen create low-pressure ways for employees to connect, like optional coffee chats, shared interest groups, or casual chat channels. These spaces help foster a sense of belonging without awkward virtual bonding activities. #Top-Netflix-Shows anyone?
- Lead by Example — If leadership isn’t engaged, employees won’t be either. The best remote teams have leaders who actively participate in setting the example — whether that means clear communication, engaging in the employee interest groups, and actively recognizing standout work.
Recognition, specifically, doesn’t have to be about making big gestures, instead it’s really just about showing employees that their contributions matter to the larger mission.
How do you address potential feelings of isolation or disconnection that employees may experience in a remote work environment?
The key to preventing isolation in remote work is being intentional about connection. Without effort, people can start to feel like they’re working in a vacuum — even more if they’re working from a home office 100% of the time.
What I’ve seen work best is a mix of structured and organic interactions. The teams that do this well create space for natural conversations, without the pressure of casual chats only happening within the first few minutes of a work meeting.
As mentioned, if you can get side-chats happening that don’t take away from productivity but instead reinforce camaraderie, that’s a big win.
Can you share an example of a remote work initiative, policy, or program that you implemented which had a significant positive impact on your team?
One of the most effective remote work initiatives I’ve seen was a company-wide “No Meeting Mornings” policy. Teams felt like they had no time for deep work because their days were packed with back-to-back calls. As such, instead of adding more structure, leadership simply blocked off the first half of every day as meeting-free.
At first, people were skeptical, but within a few weeks, the team started showing signs of increased productivity. Personally, I also felt less drained by the end of the day.
I also noticed that this small change also improved engagement in meetings. Without the constant context-switching, employees seemed to have more bandwidth for when we actually did have meetings and would participate more meaningfully.
How do you strike the balance between flexibility (one of the main benefits of remote work) and ensuring accountability and productivity?
Flexibility and accountability aren’t opposites — they work best together. When employees feel trusted, they’re more motivated to perform.
The biggest mistake I’ve seen is equating productivity with visibility. Tracking hours or activity creates stress, not results. The best teams focus on clearly communicated and trust that work will get done.
Where you can, try giving some of the reins back to the team and trusting them to do what they need to do — see if that has the opposite effect of what you were expecting.
What trends or innovations in remote work are you most excited about, and how do you see them shaping the future of workplace culture?
AI is the obvious answer, but for good reason. It’s is already saving teams time by automating repetitive tasks, but what’s really exciting is how it’s starting to assist in more strategic ways.
Instead of just reducing admin work, AI can surface insights that would be hard to catch otherwise. It can identify trends in performance and bring attention to patterns that might go unnoticed in a sea of data.
For remote teams, this is a game-changer. Without being in the office every day, it’s easy for leadership to miss early signs of disengagement or skill gaps. AI helps fill in those blind spots, giving managers a clearer picture of what’s happening across the organization. The companies that use it to make smarter decisions will have a real edge in shaping workplace culture.
In your opinion, how does building a strong culture in a remote work environment impact not just employees, but also customers, clients, and the company’s overall performance?
Culture shapes everything. When employees feel connected and supported, that kind of engagement carries over to customers and clients.
Teams that communicate well internally create better experiences externally, whether through stronger client relationships, more thoughtful service, or a product that reflects a team’s best work.
How do you think the quality of outcomes would compare if your employees barely knew each other and had a hard time connecting with their managers? It’s clear…investing in your culture will pay dividends elsewhere.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people through better remote work cultures, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could start a movement, it would be to shift the way companies think about feedback. Too often, feedback is tied to rigid performance reviews that feel forced and unhelpful. In remote work, that structure falls apart even more. Employees can go months without meaningful input, and by the time reviews happen, the feedback is outdated or irrelevant.
I’d push for a culture where feedback is a natural part of the workflow. A simple habit — like taking 30 seconds to recognize a teammate’s effort or give a quick improvement note — can change everything. It keeps teams aligned in a way that structured reviews never could.
If every company embraced that kind of culture, not just remote/hybrid, employees would actually grow and more quickly meet their professional goals — having an incredible impact on the organizations they work in.
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can check out my LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meadowsm/) where I do a lot of posting and videos on topics related to remote work, performance management, and culture.
You can also visit our company blog and resources (https://home.workstory.team/#free-resources) which contain a ton of great stuff, including various free templates you can use — from onboarding guides and engagement surveys to review templates for specific roles.
This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.
Thank you for the opportunity to share.
The Remote Work Revolution: Matthew Meadows of WorkStory On Building Strong Cultures in a Digital… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.