How investing in workplace’s social connections drives success

Did you know that social connection is the strongest indicator of happiness and health in people? When most of us spend vast amounts of our daily time at work and investing in work relations, this is just one of the reasons to cultivate social connections at work.

Interested in better understanding the positive impacts of connections – and how you can create more of them in your workplace? Well, this article will give you some ideas.?

Why does social connections matter?

When we connect with others, we open ourselves to learning. While exchanging knowledge, our brain sparks and it generates new ideas. That’s how connection brings us into the creativity mode and supports us in the problem-solving process.?

In the workplace, employees can harness collective intelligence, while combining diverse perspectives and insights. That’s how they brainstorm ideas to solve day-to-day problems through innovation.?

And innovation can help us create the change that we’re looking for. A change in the product or service, or a greater one, such as changing the workplace policy and making it more inclusive, can have a great return on your time investment.

What makes people connect?

Here are some of the elements that encourage people to connect with each other:

Commonality. Have you ever met someone new, started talking and figured out that you share the same favorite music band? Or an amazing place you both traveled to? Did you feel excited about these findings? Probably yes. People like to connect to people who share common interests, hobbies, values, or culture. It gives us a common ground for the conversation.?

Sense of belonging. As humans are socialized creatures, most of us want to feel part of a social group. When we feel a sense of belonging, it means that we feel safe and comfortable in the space or environment. We feel that we’re being heard and taken into account. And that allows us to connect to other people.?

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, besides food, water, and safety, love and belonging are the most important needs we must fulfill. This includes our desire for interpersonal relationships, intimacy, to connect with others, and to be integrated into a group. When these needs are met, our overall well-being improves, and we live a more fulfilled life.

Curiosity. When we’re in the process of connecting, we are interested in learning about the other person or to learn from their experience, skills, or knowledge. We come with an open mind to do so.?

Action items: How to cultivate social connection in the workplace?

We’ve covered the positive aspects of connections and the elements that bring people together. As a huge believer in the proactive approach, here are some actions you can take in your workplace as a team leader or manager. Not a manager yet? Suggest this action items to your management or HR or be proactive as well to ignite the spark:

1. Foster a connection environment:?

• Encourage an inclusive discourse and a constructive feedback culture.?
• Make sure your team has an open environment to share their thoughts freely, without judgment. As Steven Spielberg said, “all good ideas start out as bad ideas, that's why it takes so long.”?
• Dedicate a shared-space and the necessary conditions where your employees can connect safely.

2. Create opportunities for your employees to connect:

• Embed time in your team’s calendar for work’s reflection and brainstorming.
• Encourage connections within employees through conferences, shared-projects, and learning opportunities.?
• Develop cross-team projects to nurture innovation. As described by one of my favorite sociologists, Mark Granovetter, weak ties (such as casual or distant relationships) are more valuable in terms of providing access to new information and opportunities. Creating connections between employees who come from different backgrounds and knowledge allows developing more ideas and product development improvements.?
• Create workplace communities to foster knowledge-exchange, offer mentoring opportunities, gather your employees around company challenges, invest in your organization’s ambassadors, and more. Community building is all about creating connections between people. These people share common values, interests, identities, cultures, norms, or other characteristics. So why not create the same at the workplace?
• Organize social activities that are not related to work only. You might offer the opportunity to connect around hobbies and provide your employees the necessary resources. For example, weekly yoga lessons, music room, or general sessions delivered by employees. Be aware that not all of the employees are fans of the same things and make sure you don’t force them to connect in spaces they don’t feel comfortable with their colleagues (i.e., company’s beach day).?

Read more about how to building a thriving employees’ community

3. Leverage technology and digital tools:

• Provide flexibility for your employees in terms of expectations, such as arriving at the office and availability when they work from home. Leverage digital platforms to connect employees regardless if they are working in the office or elsewhere.
• Implement virtual collaborative tools in the workplace to simplify feedback loops and boost productivity. Microsoft Teams, Google Docs, and Miro are some of the tools you can use.?
• Embrace online communication platforms and clarify the usage of each platform to maximize work-time.
• Organize creative activities to connect your employees remotely and strengthen their social connection.?

Creating meaningful connections takes time and effort. But the investment is definitely worth it!

Further read: Learn how to connect and network on LinkedIn

Tzufit Herling is driving organizational transformation through communities.

She is a community consultant with over a decade of experience in the content field, in working with organizations, entrepreneurs, and businesses around the globe in online and offline platforms.?

The creator and owner of Connecteur, a certified Meta Community Management’s company, Tzufit provides a consultation for community development business and serves as a lecturer in the field. She is also the co-founder of MENAco, a professional network for women in the hi-tech field from the Middle East and North Africa (the MENA region).?

Tzufit holds a B.A. in sociology and humanities, and a journalism diploma from Tel Aviv University. As a life-long learner, she is constantly spreading ideas and have written for Forbes Israel, Forbes Japan, and others.