If you want to build human connection, you need to embrace the personal so people can find commonalities and have shared experiences. At our most recent company off-site, we brought all employees together in person for the first time in three years. Because many of us had only ever interacted on screen, we wanted to be highly intentional about building connection. We created a networking competition using our new People Cards, with everyone sharing a little-known fact about themselves.
These gestures show you care, but they aren’t merely polite. When you onboard employees properly, you can reduce first-year turnover by 50%. This rate of retention pays dividends; an employee who’s experienced a stellar onboarding experience becomes a brand ambassador who helps attract better applicants, leading to lower recruitment costs and lower employee turnover.A lot of teams have developed effective strategies for connecting with each other.
For maximum effect, pair mentors and mentees of different ages and levels of experience. Then make sure they stick to the plan by using tech to send reminders and prompts about potential topics of discussion.You can’t deny the ripple effect—both positive and negative—a manager has on company culture.indicates direct managers account for up to 70% of variance in employee engagement.
Help your managers look like rock stars with nudges that provide them with just-in-time reminders about having regular check-ins, giving feedback, and sharing praise. For some leaders, people management is intuitive; they might not need the coaching. But for a majority of managers, it either doesn’t come naturally, or they’re so busy they forget the basics—or worse, they forget about their remote employees.
This principle really comes to life through learning. Rather than have employees sit through learning management system videos on 2x speed in isolation, you can make learning a connected experience. Managers can set employees up with buddies so they can apply learning together in real time. Learning can be more of a team sport, and that helps build even more threads of connection in your organization.