Millions of employees in the U.S. work remotely, using their homes and nearby coffee shops as offices, skirting their commute, cubicles and co-workers. But even for those who see virtual work as a perk, they may still be missing something invaluable: human connections.
The
“We want to feel like we belong and that we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves,” says Allyson Tom, head of people and culture at Blueboard, noting that workers don’t just want to feel connected to colleagues, but to their employer’s mission as well as their own career aspirations. “If an organization can help its people feel connected to the humans they work with, the work they’re doing, and a greater personal purpose, people will stick around.”
Read more:
Still, Tom knows that the idea of “connection” can often feel too vague for HR teams trying to work it into their
What does “connection” mean in the workplace?
In a recent Blueboard webinar, we asked attendees what connection at work means to them and one person shared: "Connection at work means that I haven't wasted one-third of my day — my life — doing something meaningless. I am connected to something bigger than just an exchange of time for money."
As humans, we’re wired to connect, but there hasn’t really been a robust definition of employee connection. We often talk about connection at work in “soft” terms; it’s something we sense (or don’t sense) and innately know is important, but we haven’t defined it in a concrete way. And it’s really difficult to solve a problem when you struggle to define it.
That’s where we began our research — with a four-part definition of a connected workplace. First, a connected workplace is one where employees feel connected to the company's mission, values and leadership vision. It’s a workplace where employees feel connected to their coworkers and managers through authentic relationships. They are also connected to their work and have a positive impact on the company’s goals. Lastly, they feel connected to their personal aspirations — they’re growing and developing in ways that mean something to them. This definition allows companies to gather specific, actionable evidence and employee feedback. Companies do not just ask, “Do you feel connected at work?” but “Do you resonate with our company values? Any in particular? Why or why not?” Specificity is the key to being able to take real steps forward.
Read more:
How has connection suffered over the pandemic?
Most of our default ways of connecting at work went out the window when we all had to go fully remote overnight. On the flip side, the pandemic didn’t cause the “connection gap.” When you consider the four dimensions of connection, it’s clear that workplace disconnection has been an issue for a very long time. The pandemic has accelerated conversations that have been a long time coming. Employees have been re-evaluating priorities and asking tough questions about why they work for the organizations they work for.
We also can’t deny the realities of adjusting to remote and hybrid work. For many people leaders, this is a completely new world. So we have to rethink how we manage and grow culture, how we support teams in their communication and relationship-building and how we keep purpose and values top-of-mind. There is no playbook. We’re inventing it right now. That’s definitely a daunting challenge, but the key is to try — be ok with the inevitable missteps, create feedback channels for you people and listen, learn and iterate.
Where are the glaring gaps in connections?
The biggest gap we see is around employees’ feelings of connectedness to their coworkers and managers. Just 38% of employees said their organization is effective at helping them form authentic relationships with their teammates and leaders.
Read more:
We also surveyed HR leaders, who scored their organization’s ability to align an employee’s career growth and development with that employee’s personal aspirations lowest across the different measures of connection. That’s super interesting when you think about the fact that HR leaders have global insight into the problems employees are facing. Individual employees are clearly missing the human-to-human connection, but HR leaders are flagging that their people might also be missing that personal fulfillment and growth.
What advice do you have for companies looking to nurture connections in the workplace?
First, make sure you have buy-in from leadership to prioritize connection at work. Once you’ve got buy-in, you need to understand your organization’s most glaring connection gaps. Survey your people. Make connection questions a part of recurring one-on-ones. Make it a topic of conversation in team meetings. Centralize that feedback so you can start to identify themes and diagnose focus areas. Remember that connection is cultural. It requires clear, reliable structures and processes to flourish.
Our research also found that employee recognition is a key lever companies can pull to boost connection, by recognizing and rewarding the behaviors that contribute to a more connected workplace. In fact, companies that have a formal recognition program were two times more likely to report they’re able to address connection challenges than the average. Closing the connection gap will likely require behavior change. Meaningful recognition and rewards can help you encourage and reinforce behaviors that will lead to a more connected workplace.
