The connector.

Strong social connections within the workplace are a key component of employee engagment and happiness within the work environment, and even employees that contribute on an individual basis need to feel that sense of “belonging to a team” to truly perform at their best. Strong employee connections also help employees manage workplace stress better and increase their sense of wellbeing, which in turn benefits both health and job performance.

Strong connections both within and between teams also improves overall workplace performance, as employees are more likely to approach others with challenging issues, come up with more creative solutions and understand the wider implications of decisions if they connect frequently with colleagues in a variety of ways.

“…Not all employees are naturally skilled at developing and maintaining a strong network of relationships.”

But not all employees are naturally skilled at developing and maintaining a strong network of relationships, and in an environment where many employees work remotely, this can be even more of a challenge. What can you do to help your employees connect with each other? Here are a few ideas to get started:

1. Provide employees with a framework to build new connections and a reason to build one-on-one relationships with other employees, both within their local office, and with other offices. Suggest that they reach out, introduce themselves personally and explain their role. A simple framework can help employees find mutual areas of interest to build relationships on their own teams as well as with others they may work with in the future. This will also help to build a broader understanding of corporate objectives and operations across the organization.
2. Promote organizational social groups, such as groups focused on wellness or fitness, or team volunteer activities.  Use the start of the new year to encourage employees to participate and meet others, even if groups meet virtually. Team challenges can work well to bring people together to work on a common goal.
3. Implement a regular employee and team recognition program, where individuals can nominate other colleagues or teams for strong teamwork, innovative solutions or strong results. Include a cross-section of team representatives to review the nominations and recognize all of the contributions.
4. Introduce a digital app, such as Vybbe, that prioritizes employee connections and supports colleagues to build new relationships. Vybbe also includes the Vybbe+ feature, an employee recognition component that encourages individuals to recognize their peers.

Start 2021 with the goal of implementing one or more of these programs and you could see the benefits within a matter of months – your employees will get to know each other better, they’ll work together more productively, and you’ll start to notice that your company culture is evolving to be one of “belonging”, in which employees feel part of the team.