Employee connections can make or break collaboration in your organization.
It’s happened to all of us: we want to finish a project, but we feel like we’re being bottlenecked by our coworkers. (If you haven’t experienced this, you might be the one causing the bottleneck, sorry.)
Then our manager criticizes us for not taking initiative or taking too long to do something when it isn’t our fault.
But by telling a manager that someone else is causing a bottleneck, we then feel like we’re in the wrong. It turns into he-said-she-said. We question our ability to do our job. It’s completely unfair.
And there’s a really simple solution: employee connections.
When employees are connected, they’ll be less inclined to create bottlenecks. They’ll care enough about their colleagues to actually help them.
Why employee connections matter
Almost half of US employees don’t feel their employer cares about developing employee connections.
If their employers really don’t care, they’re missing out. In fact, 84% of employees say the top reason they want to return to the office is socializing. So if you don’t foster the kind of environment where employees get to do that, you’re dropping the ball.
As mentioned in the intro, employee connections help prevent bottlenecks. Employees don’t ghost their colleagues when they get a message asking them to do something, they do the thing.
Sure, if they’re busy there might be a delay. But they’ll still do it because they value that person and don’t just see them as someone else wanting something from them. So, over time, they’ll accomplish more.
Empowering employees to do more can help with morale. And how much your business earns.
But it’s not just about morale and earnings. Employee connections also create a more welcoming environment for everyone. One where people actually want to spend their time.
How to foster employee connections
Welcome everyone at the start of meetings
One of the simplest ways to foster employee connections is by using the first five minutes of a meeting to greet everyone like a human.
Don’t just get right into it. Ask people how they are, how their weekend was, what they had for lunch, even.
These seemingly small conversations humanize people to their colleagues. They give them opportunities to bond and get to know one another in low-stakes conversation.
Remember they’re people, not AI agents
An AI agent running out of credits is like a person running out of energy. It happens to everyone, even those who seem to have a motor powering them.
Treating your employees like humans who need time to relax, to switch off, to think and to process, and accepting that we all have natural energy flows, shows compassion as a leader and a business. It fosters a more supportive environment and means that if something does happen, your employees will feel like they can come to you, rather than being afraid to bring it up.
Employee connections can provide a crucial safeguard against burnout.
In-person meetups
In-person meetups, whether that’s for an all-hands, a week’s getaway, or just an evening of socializing, help your employees get to know each other beyond a screen.
Talking to someone on a video call can feel impersonal. Building employee connections in person means someone’s more than just a floating head on a screen.
Events
Whether it’s a well-known speaker organized in-house, or an external industry event, events are another way for your employees to get away from their desks and get to know one another.
Bonus points if they’re external events. These give your employees the chance to speak to other experts from your industry, which can inspire new ideas. Plus, providing time to debrief with colleagues afterwards is a great way to build new employee connections.
Support each other’s goals
We all have things we want to achieve. It may be learning a new language, running a marathon, or publishing a book. 34% of employees see supporting each other’s interests as an effective way to build employee connections.
Celebrate birthdays
Whether it’s decorating someone’s desk, buying them a cake, or going out for lunch, celebrating someone’s birthday shows you appreciate that they’re working on a day that should be for them. They’ve survived another year of whatever life has thrown them, and that’s something to celebrate.
Milestones like birthdays and anniversaries offer important opportunities to both build and reinforce employee connections.
Get to know someone beyond work
Fewer than half of employees feel their managers try to get to know them beyond work.
You don’t need someone’s life story, but knowing what they’re interested in — like their favorite sports team, their favorite food, or even their pet’s name — helps build a better employee/manager dynamic.
The same is true for colleagues, too.
All it takes is asking someone about their day, or starting a new thread in the chat that’s not about work to build deeper employee connections.
Employee groups
One of the best ways to build employee connections is by creating and growing employee groups.
As each group has a different focus, there’s something for everyone. And every member has common ground that they can use to connect with each other. So then that removes some of the awkwardness that comes from joining new jobs or communities.
Of course, it isn’t always easy to manage employee groups. That’s where Workrowd comes in. You can keep all your employee initiatives in one place. Everything is easy to use and organize, meaning your team can find what they need, when they need it.
Want to find out more? Get in touch to book your free Workrowd demo.
Conclusion
Fostering employee connections just might be your competitors’ most-underestimated growth strategy.
It doesn’t have to be big or complicated, either. In fact, it’s about the opposite: going back to the human, non-tech side.
Simple things like finding out what your employees are interested in shows you’re aware that they have a life outside of work and don’t expect everything to revolve around their job. It’s a powerful way to get your employees to work together more effectively and be more productive in their roles.
