Kensington Grey, a Toronto-based influencer management agency with a fully remote team of 63, is intentionally building team culture without a physical office. They achieve this through monthly two-day gatherings for brainstorming and social events, utilizing Flexday for temporary office spaces. CEO Shannae Ingleton Smith emphasizes the importance of these connections, especially as Canadians work from home more than any other country. The company also reallocates office savings into a travel budget for client visits, fostering micro-communities, and implements a "Thoughtful Thursdays" no-meeting policy for mental recharge. This approach aims to empower staff and increase overall well-being by balancing employer-employee relationships.
Remote but not removed: How to build a team culture without an office
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Kensington Grey, a Toronto-based influencer management agency with a fully remote team of 63, is intentionally building team culture without a physical office. They achieve this through monthly two-day gatherings for brainstorming and social events, utilizing Flexday for temporary office spaces. CEO Shannae Ingleton Smith emphasizes the importance of these connections, especially as Canadians work from home more than any other country. The company also reallocates office savings into a travel budget for client visits, fostering micro-communities, and implements a "Thoughtful Thursdays" no-meeting policy for mental recharge. This approach aims to empower staff and increase overall well-being by balancing employer-employee relationships.
Trending- 1 2019: Shannae Ingleton Smith launched Kensington Grey.
- 2 Early 2025: Kensington Grey implemented a no-meeting policy on one morning a week ('Thoughtful Thursdays').
- 3 April 2025: A global survey indicated Canadians work from home more days than workers in any other country.
- 4 Ongoing: Kensington Grey holds monthly two-day gatherings and uses Flexday for temporary office spaces.
- Enhanced team connection and collaboration
- Improved employee well-being
- Increased ownership for staff over their day
- Potential for other companies to adopt similar strategies
What: Kensington Grey, a Toronto-based influencer management agency, is implementing strategies to build and maintain a strong team culture despite having a fully remote workforce and no physical office.
When: 2019 (Kensington Grey launched); early 2025 (Thoughtful Thursdays implemented); April 2025 (global survey on remote work).
Where: Toronto, Canada (Kensington Grey base); North America (client visits); 40 countries (global survey).
Why: To foster connection, collaboration, and employee well-being in a remote work environment, addressing the challenges of remote or hybrid work.
How: Monthly two-day in-person gatherings (using Flexday for temporary office space), reallocating office savings to a travel budget for client visits (building micro-communities), and implementing a weekly "no-meeting" policy ("Thoughtful Thursdays").