When my clients ask me how to build a sense of community at work, I immediately picture the tiny, poorly lit breakroom at my first post-college job.
I’m sitting on a beige folding chair across from my two favorite colleagues. We’ve challenged ourselves to find the best snacks $5 can buy at the little grocery store across the street and now we’re sharing our discoveries. We’re nibbling on Little Debbie snack cakes, talking about our favorite tv shows, and laughing about a recent, reply-all email snafu.
It was a sense of community that wasn’t facilitated by HR or ice breaker exercises, but those friendships kept me happy and engaged at that job for years.
When we think of “community building at work” it’s easy to jump immediately to “employee resource groups!!” and “company picnics!” And while those are great (more on them later), there are many smaller, day-to-day things we can do.
Why is it important to have a sense of community at work?
When we have a sense of community at work, we’re stronger than the “sum of our parts.” Rather than just one person advocating for work from home options or better EDI policies, we’ve got a group of allies who support us.
When I was navigating my infertility journey, having a sense of community at work gave me courage to ask my manager for more flexible hours; I knew my colleagues had my back. And when my coworker needs time off to help her kid start college, she knows all the other parents she works with have been in the same boat and support her.
We can borrow strength and courage from our colleagues when we have a sense of community. We know we don’t have to go it alone.
Why should your company try to build a sense of community?
People stay where they feel welcome. When we work alongside colleagues who understand us and support us we’re much more likely to stay in a job. And since the cost of replacing an employee is 50% - 100% of their salary, companies can significantly reduce turnover rates by creating a sense of community.
People are also more committed to companies that have a history of “doing good”, or working towards an admirable, shared goal. When your employees volunteer together or work on a project for a cause they care about, they strengthen their relationships with each other and with the company.
Community can feel like a lifeline for people. At the beginning of the pandemic, I started volunteering at a soup kitchen and for many of the volunteers, that Thursday night in the soup kitchen was the only time they saw people face to face. I heard “I don’t know how I would have survived without this!” so many times!
And community at work can feel that way, too. Many of us have survived tough workplaces on the strength of a “work bestie,” a company softball team, or a lunch table full of funny, supportive colleagues who laugh at our jokes and give us pep talks.
How do you know if your company is lacking in a sense of community?
Lack of community might show up in high turnover rates, low morale, or negative exit interviews. It might look homogenous employees because nobody wants to work for a company where they’ll be the “odd one out.”
How can you build a sense of community at work?
For a lot of large companies and corporations, community looks like ERGs - employee resource groups. These are groups of people who share a common aspect of their identity; they’re all new hires, or moms, or Indigenous people. Sometimes these groups arise organically, sometimes they’re organized by the company.
When an ERG is well run, supported, and marketed within a company, they can be incredibly impactful. It always helps if there is an executive sponsor to make sure there’s advocacy behind them.
If your company doesn’t have the resources to create and promote official ERGs, there are ways you can support the unofficial ERGs and community that probably already exist within your organization.
Offer to coordinate volunteer opportunities or donations for a cause that’s important to them
Remove barriers to make it easier for them to get together and support each other - give them a block of time every week that’s meeting-free or give them use of a specific space every week
Offer to order in from their favorite restaurant
Get curious about what they do! You don’t necessarily need to “get involved,” just offer your interest and help if needed
Let your employees know that if they’d like to create some sort of group, you’d love to offer your support in any way you can
Of course, there are plenty of places people can find a sense of community - their neighborhood, place of worship, local bar / coffee shop, or rec league sports team. Not everyone is looking for a sense of community from their workplace and that’s okay!
That being said, it’s rare that a company doesn’t benefit from the methods and mindsets that lead to a sense of community. Why not create a welcoming, supportive environment and allow your employees to opt into (or out of!) that community?