Get Community Working for You in the Workplace.
What employees can do to build community...
No man is an island. As human beings in this technological era, we have an even more heightened need to feel connected to people. It is this very need that drives us to build and maintain communities. In the workplace, where we spend one third of our lives, a strong, supportive community translates into employees that are happy, healthy and productive.
Communities come in many forms, and new open source technologies have allowed us to extend and enhance this conversation.
Do you feel a sense of connection and belonging missing in your current workplace environment? If not, how can your culture and employment community be improved? Ask yourself the following questions:
Do I have the opportunity to connect with people inside my organization but outside my immediate working group on a regular basis?
Do I connect with people outside my organization on a regular basis?
Do I feel connected to the organizational goals?
Are there communication systems and venues to connect with others, share new ideas and learn?
Do I feel my employer is open-minded to my internal and external networking?
Here are some practical recommendations on how to get community started in your organization:
Are you part of a committee? If not, get on one or start one. The best committees are ones that are formed with stakeholders from all functional areas of the company.
Have you reached out to employees outside of your department? If not, find a reason to do so and make an effort to meet two new people every week.
Is there a common area or venue where people congregate? If not, suggest to your employer that you create a lunch ‘n learn monthly forum and take the initiative to come up with the agenda, annual plan and details of how it would work.
Get involved in volunteerism and social team building events.
Make an effort to congratulate colleagues on their accomplishments and celebrate their successes. Not only by email! Walk over and tell them in person.
Use open-source technology to create internal company forums to communicate, exchange ideas, create and stay up to date on projects and events.
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