Creating an environment where you have to make your employees feel a sense of belonging is an ongoing investment and continuous process.  

You can never say, “Okay, we’ve done it! Now is it possible to move on to something else?” Each person’s contribution is required. 

So why not start by building a sense of community within your organization?

Introduction

We think that organization is a well-oiled machine with a military hierarchy where jobs are repetitive and mindless. Managers pull levers to do actions and employees become replaceable parts where they are fueled to do repetitive tasks with even greater efficiency. 

IIn this light-speed digital age, mindless and repetitive work is being done by machines and soon will be. You need people to contribute critical thinking, innovation, and creativity, and provide feedback to your organization. And the best is by dropping the machine metaphor and making your employees feel a sense of community.   

Employees are the biggest component for the continued growth of your business. The framework of a community can include regular meetings, results-focused challenges, and many more. Authentic communities take into account these individual meanings and create a sense of purpose, motivate employees, and encourage their engagement and accountability for the company’s success.

A sense of community can be a big help to your employees. Companies should incorporate a community guide into their employee handbooks and communicate its benefits to all employees.   

Employees who feel like they belong to a community feel more valued by the company. Employees with a sense of community are healthier and happier, and they are less likely to leave the company and suffer from workplace burnout. Keeping a company community healthy can also help you retain employees. It can also improve employee satisfaction and performance. 

80% of managers consider employee engagement as a vital determinant of the company’s success. 

Why it is Important to Create a Sense of Community?  

Creating a sense of community is a difficult process. Developing a sense of belonging is essential to creating a happy work environment. In addition to empowering employees, it also increases company morale. Creating an internal community is also vital for improving overall employee retention.   

One way to create a sense of community is to hold regular events for employees to meet each other and develop a sense of responsibility. This will encourage employees to invest in the community and build connections.

How do you build a sense of community in a company?

Here’s how to foster connection & belonging:

• Shared experiences: Team outings, volunteering, social events.
• Open communication: Encourage active listening & feedback.
• Recognition & appreciation: Celebrate individual & team wins.
• Shared goals & mission: Connect everyone to the bigger picture.
• Employee resource groups: Cater to diverse interests & identities.
• Teamwork & collaboration: Encourage cross-functional projects.
• Mentorship programs: Foster learning & support among colleagues.
• Informal spaces: Create designated areas for casual interaction.
• Fun & games: Lighthearted activities break the ice & build rapport.
• Technology: Leverage tools for communication & collaboration.

How do you make employees feel a sense of belonging?

Feeling like they belong is crucial for employee happiness and productivity. Here are top strategies to foster belonging:

1. Foster Open Communication: Encourage open dialogue, feedback, and active listening to create a safe space for employees to share their thoughts and concerns.
2. Celebrate Diversity & Inclusion: Recognize and celebrate individual differences and create a welcoming environment for everyone.
3. Encourage Teamwork & Collaboration: Build opportunities for employees to work together on projects, fostering a sense of shared purpose and accomplishment.
4. Recognize & Reward Contributions: Acknowledge and appreciate individual and team achievements to make employees feel valued.
5. Invest in Personal & Professional Development: Provide resources for ongoing learning and growth, which demonstrates a commitment to their long-term success and reinforces their sense of belonging within the organization.

How to Create a Sense of Belonging?  

The idea of creating a sense of community is nothing new, but the practice is gaining momentum as more companies realize the benefits of strong company culture. It all starts with a vision statement.   

So, how do you create a community in the workplace?     

If you want to make your employees feel a sense of belonging and bring your employees together, look at these 5 tips which you can cultivate in your organization.  

The Purpose:

Conduct team-building exercises both inside and outside the workplace like team meetings, and monthly team luncheons, and work on small during the hiring process, you should look out for those candidates, to whom you can make them understand what company culture is all about and what values you find important. Hiring with this thought means you can build a community that your workplace values.   

Start with a question WHY. As for WHY is the purpose of what you do or think?     

Conduct a survey where you find out what their values are. Are they the right fit who aligns with your company values? It is also important to allocate the time to understand what your company’s vision is and how it will fit into it.

A purpose can bridge a gap where it will help in creating a bond with the entire office into a community. As this gives an overall target for the office for working together on a project with a promise of reward.    

Ensure that every work has a purpose, meaning, and recognition. Be specific in outlining the purpose and defining roles for each employee that will ensure no one feels overburdened with an inequitable share of the workload.      

Dedicated employees will have things in common and above all motivation will help in the growth of your company. Rytfit’s AI-powered platform will help you to hire the right fit for your organization.       

Mentors:

87% of employees expect their employer to support them in work-life balance. As a coach and as an organization as a whole, make it a priority where you remove roadblocks that prevent your team from doing their best.

Discuss challenges, obstacles, and work-related issues, and do whatever it takes to clear those. Ask for their suggestion on how these might be resolved and consistently work together to remove these barriers.

When you create opportunities for your employees by collaborating, it will help them to open their minds to perspectives that they may not have considered earlier. This means when they lack a sense of purpose about a task, their interaction with you who has a different perspective may help them to change their thought process and find purpose in the task by themselves.

When you help them out, you create an environment where employees will feel at home.

Empower Employees:

The company reaches the peak of diversity where it can show its workers that they matter to the company, regardless of their differences, personality, race, age, gender, and identity.   

Employee empowerment is a great way to increase employee commitment and satisfaction. Employees who feel empowered can make better decisions and contribute to a better sense of belonging.   

Employees spend about 2.5 hours a day looking for information. Providing employees with more information and better communication tools can help them feel empowered.

Team Building  

Developing a community is a critical element of team building in the workplace. By bringing together employees to achieve a common goal, teams become more productive and efficient. By utilizing their strengths and abilities to help each other, teams can complete more work in less time and generate more revenue.  

By reducing ambiguity, team-building exercises open communication and trust. Team-building activities help employees get to know one another better. which helps in building new networks.  

Recognition  

The secret to good recognition is to ensure that praise is given freely and publicly. Make recognition a daily part of your workplace and you will be well on the way to creating a community.   

Shout outs on team chats and public Thank-You will make workers feel motivated to put in the extra effort themselves. Therefore, be sure to include ways for employees to shine a kudos spotlight.  

From Comfort to Contribution  

The ability to create a sense of inclusion, connection, comfort, and belonging in the workplace can boost employee performance. When workers can identify how their work is contributing to the overall goals of the company, they will feel a greater sense of purpose which in turn reduces the employee turnover rate. With a stronger company community, there will be innovative & productive employees, which fosters team building.    

See how our platform can help you attract, hire and retain great best-in-class employees. Rytfit.ai offers free paperless onboarding software. Request a demo to learn more about how Rytfit.ai can support your business and employees.