Remote Culture with Kenji Hayward

In this episode, Neal Travis chats with Kenji Hayward, Head of Support at Front, about how to intentionally build a strong and connected team culture in a fully remote world. From onboarding and accountability to fun, flexibility, and finding purpose, Kenji shares how his globally distributed team became one of the most engaged at the company — and how others can do the same.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Building Remote Culture Intentionally

Kenji’s team at Front spans the globe — from the U.S. to Ireland, France, Australia, the Philippines, and Chile. Yet they’re known across the company for having the strongest team culture:

“We have the highest engagement in the entire company — by far.”

That didn’t happen by accident. Kenji shares how rituals, transparency, and optional-but-fun team events help foster connection in a remote world.

Culture doesn’t require an office — it requires intention.

2. The Power of “Mandatory Fun” and Optional Structure

Front’s support team balances engagement with flexibility:

“It’s mandatory that you have fun if you join. It’s not mandatory that you join.”

Kenji outlines the cadence of team meetings, monthly virtual socials, and creative bonding moments like quarterly cooking classes. The key? Give people space and autonomy while creating moments that matter.

Create joyful moments without forcing participation.

3. Onboarding, Hiring, and Scaling Global Teams

When building a global team, Kenji looks beyond time zones:

“I’m not so much about the region. I’m looking for talent everywhere.”

From structured rubrics to buddy systems, Kenji explains how to hire and onboard remote team members who can thrive without daily in-person contact — and why promoting from within is a core part of his leadership philosophy.

Trust, clarity, and structure build confidence across borders.

4. Performance and Accountability Without Micromanagement

Remote doesn't mean relaxed expectations:

“We have clear leveling rubrics… quality, speed, volume — depending on the role, there are clear benchmarks.”

Front’s support team uses shared inboxes, open analytics, and transparent reporting to drive accountability without top-down micromanagement.

Make performance visible, not punitive.

5. In-Person Time Still Matters — Just Be Strategic About It

Kenji takes a hybrid approach:

“I’m the middleman of the remote team and the in-office team.”

By showing up in person a few times a week, he bridges communication gaps and advocates for his distributed team while also creating boundaries to protect family life and deep focus.

Be present where it counts — both online and off.

Memorable Quotes

“We started building culture before we were remote — the challenge was scaling that culture, not recreating it.”
“Everybody has to pull their weight… it’s a shared queue, and we’re all in it together.”
“I stick to this concept called ikigai… it’s about connecting what you do with what you love.”

Takeaways

• Remote culture isn’t spontaneous — it’s designed: Create systems and rituals that foster human connection.

• Mix structure with choice: Optional team events with high-quality engagement beat mandatory Zoom fatigue.

• Accountability thrives in transparency: Use leveling rubrics and visible analytics to stay aligned.

• Remote leaders need presence too: Strategic in-person time can elevate both performance and visibility.

• Find your ikigai: Great culture starts with leaders who love what they do — and help others do the same.