Making connections and building community within the workplace is highly beneficial for companies and employees. But how does it help companies and you as an HR pro achieve goals?
Studies show that effective communication at the workplace can improve employee performance by at least 25%. Besides, Connectivity and affinity within the workplace build a positive atmosphere that motivates workers to perform better to achieve company goals.
You may wonder, are connectivity and community really that important for organizations?
If so, then how can you create them in your company?
What does community in the workplace mean?
A community in the workplace is a group or team of employees with effective communication, trust, respect for each other, and, most notably, a high level of cooperation.
When people connect and share their thoughts without any hesitation, community starts to be built
Why is making connections necessary at work?
Making connections at the workplace is essential for both the employees and the organization. Initially, it develops the mindset of the workers, which in turn helps in achieving company goals.
Here are the four most important benefits of making connections or building community at the workplace:
1)Promotes Employee Engagement
Community at the workplace promotes employee engagement.
When employees can freely express their ideas because of their feeling of belonging they may share ideas that benefit the company.
2)Improves mental Health
According to a recent study, 1 out of 6.8 employees faces mental health challenges, affecting employee performance.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, one is the need for love and belonging. If anyone is feeling lonely, a community can help vanish that feeling. It has a significant influence on employee behaviour and their mental health.
Communities in the workplace employees this feeling of belonging and make them more satisfeid and creates pysocological safety
3) Increases Efficiency/Productivity
One of the most potent effects of making connections and building communities in the workplace is to improve employee efficiency.
Being in a community makes employees realize more about their contribution.
Employee connection at work improves employee engagement and mental health; they also help boost productivity at the workplace.
HR managers like you know that working together can help increase employee efficiency. That’s why more and more organizations today are looking for candidates with good teamwork skills.
4) Increases retention
Employee turnover is a big problem in organizations today.Connectivity at the workplace can reduce the impact of this problem.
How do you build a community in an organization?
Now that you know how meaningful connections are for the workplace, you must be wondering how to build a thriving community for yourorganization?
Here are some ways organizations can follow to build community:
Common spaces
Introducing common spaces in workplaces where employees from different departments can meet and connect is a great idea. A gym, canteen, or indoor gaming rooms are effective spaces to promote employee engagement.
Mentorship programs
Mentorship programs in the workplace can be introduced, where seniors will regularly connect with their juniors and help them adapt and understand company cultures. It doesn’t have to be always formal. In fact, employees feel more comfortable with informal connections at the workplace.
Encouraging diversity
People from diverse backgrounds come to an organization. It often acts as a barrier to collaboration. If companies can encourage diversity and successfully eliminate these barriers, it will create great connectivity/community within the workplace.
Digital platforms
Don’t limit connecting with employees in the workplace only. Organizations can use social media sites or other digital platforms to create online communities where employees will share their thoughts. It will strengthen the employee relationship.
Being supportive
If managers support folks’ opinions, it will promote positive connections at work. Give everyone a voice to share their thoughts.
How do You make deep connections at work?
Are you feeling lonely at work? Does your company have communities, but you are failing to make connections with them? Here are some tips for making deep connections at work:
- Try to talk to more and more people during breaks.
- Give your full attention to others while listening
- Show kindness and respect to your colleagues.
- Ask others if you can help them to make their job easier.
- You may get criticisms sometimes, don’t let them spoil your mood, and don’t show a negative attitude towards anyone.
- Show gratitude when someone helps you.
- Take advantage of company events to socialize with everyone as at that time, almost everyone gathers in one place.
Final Words
- There is no denying that the power of connectivity/community can strengthen the workplace. I always try to make new friends at work. They help me feel better and enable me to perform at my best!
