Canadian online fashion company Wantering has been in rapid expansion since its debut in 2011. To account for their success, founder Matt Freisen has recently introduced offices in both Los Angeles and New York City. However, due to the fact that Wantering is still in its startup stages, he is only able to employ two employees in LA and four in New York. The homebase for the company still remains in Vancouver with seven team members. Freisen sees the importance in routine activities such as having lunch as a group because it “creates a bit of a family atmosphere and a team atmosphere,” within the team. Evidently, it is difficult to build a cohesive company culture where different departments are based at a significant distance from each other, particularly in the case where there are a mere two people working together at one location.

(source: glamour.com)

In the article, various industry professionals weigh in on their opinions towards resolving Freisen’s issues with respect to culture. They recommended gathering the entire company together for workshops, and to one day assemble the team in one location if the finances allow it. Jack Newton of Clio Software suggested to seek employee thoughts on common values. Allowing this to be a collaborative project prevents the company from reaching a state of homogeneity, which is a positive factor. The finalization of values facilitates future hiring and allows future hires to have a solid grasp of what the company stands for, and what they should do to uphold it.

(source: http://www.pecanpartnership.co.uk/what-we-do/culture)

I also suggest Wantering to take a look at their marketing structure, as this section and corporate culture are closely tied. The way in which Wantering markets itself towards consumers should reflect the values of Wantering employees as well. In order to be cohesive, the values of the company should be upheld to the highest standard, as that is not only how the employee views it, but how the public views it as well. At this moment, as long as every office location is aware and actively working towards common values, Wantering should be in no trouble at all in terms of company culture, despite differences in geographical environment.