Workplace community: examples, benefits, mistakes & best practices

Work is much more than simply completing tasks and heading back home. Work environments are places where people from diverse backgrounds connect and grow personally and professionally. A well-implemented workplace community answers those needs and takes the employee experience to another level.

Yet, the idea is not to create random types of communities at work and send invitations to your team members, hoping they will join and be active in it. This article highlights the benefits of developing a sense of community. Most importantly, it emphasizes successful examples of communities in the workplace, the mistakes to avoid, and the best practices to build communities that foster a feeling of belonging, purpose, and satisfaction.

Let’s transform your work environment into a hub where connections, creativity, support, and employee morale thrive!

What is a community?

A community is a group of people coming together and looking in the same direction to achieve a common goal. In everyday life, communities are, most of the time, built organically. For example, we often hear the term “our local community,” which describes a group of individuals who live in the same area and share moments and activities. A community can also consist of people of the same gender or race. For instance, it can be a group of female entrepreneurs or students who study abroad and gather with other students from the same country. Communities also play a key role at work in creating a sense of belonging, boosting employee morale, and improving the company’s overall performance.

What are examples of communities in the workplace?

Corporate change-makers groups

Finding purpose at work has developed into a priority for many people. For this reason, some businesses see groups of employees voicing their wish to become corporate change-makers and have the resources to do so. Together, these workers aim to drive innovation, tackle challenges, and implement sustainable practices, fostering a culture of positive organizational change and leadership.

Learning communities

Many employees are also looking for growth and learning opportunities on a personal and professional level. Creating a learning community is a smart initiative to fulfill your staff’s expectations while benefiting from it. The community can organize workshops, attend conferences, learn about each other jobs, teach each other new skills, and so on. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Employee resource groups (ERG)

ERGs are workplace communities that can take many forms and be based on interests and goals. For example, you can have an employee resource group that supports parents, another dedicated to female empowerment, another that advocates mental health, and so on.

💡 Good to know: 90% of Fortune 500 companies have implemented ERGs. ¹

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What are the benefits of creating communities at work?

What workplace community brings to employees

• Sense of belonging

Sharing ideas, values, and everyday interests increases the sense of belonging for people who join a workplace community or feel a sense of community at work.

• Fulfillment

Building connections, acting as a group toward a common goal, and sharing moments with people with the same values and visions give your employees a feeling of fulfillment.

• Workplace connection

Building workplace community also plays a significant role in minimizing employee disconnection, isolation, and loneliness. This is especially important as people working remotely struggle to stay connected to their colleagues and companies.

• Collaboration

Succeeding in building a sense of community helps your staff collaborate better as they know each other better and support each other more meaningfully. 

• Growth and learning opportunities

One of the biggest advantages for employees in being part of a workplace community is the ability to learn from their colleagues and grow with them personally and professionally.

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How building communities at work benefits organizations

• Engagement

Team members who have the opportunity to be part of a workplace community or experience a sense of community and belonging are more likely to feel engaged and motivated.

• Loyalty and employee retention

Feeling part of a community is a very strong need that is crucial for our mental health and well-being. For this reason, once fulfilled, it is hard to give up. 66% of employees who experience a sense of community at work declare being more likely to stay with their organization. ²

• Employee morale and satisfaction

Feeling part of a group, supported, and understood undoubtedly boosts your staff’s morale and satisfaction regarding their job and the organization. 

• Employee performance

As workplace communities increase employee engagement and morale, they also improve inherently their daily performance.

• Innovation and creativity

Sharing knowledge, interacting with people from different personal and professional backgrounds, learning from each other, and feeling part of a supportive work environment leads to higher levels of innovation and creativity. 

• Corporate culture

Building a sense of community in the workplace dramatically reinforces your corporate culture and promotes your visions and values.

How do you build a community at work?

Workplace communities are great and have many advantages. But how do you create thriving workplace communities? 

Be creative and people-focused

Avoid creating the same types of communities you see everywhere else, assuming that’s what your employees want. Maybe it is, but maybe not at all. Each workforce is different. 

Instead, figure out their interests and motivations by asking them about their hobbies, goals, values, etc. You need to understand what can draw them together, be useful, and feel appealing to them. It might be learning how to handle your finances better, concretely acting to create a more sustainable world, or gathering with people with the same passions.

Come up with different types of communities and let employees vote for their favorite ones

Include your staff in the process rather than gathering all this information and creating communities based only on this data. Once you know which type of communities could interest and benefit them, pick a few and ask them to vote for their favorite ones. 

Doing so enables you to build communities that answer their expectations and needs, increasing the likelihood of success and boosting your employees’ satisfaction.

Allow your workforce to create their own communities at work

All the work doesn’t have to come from you.

Some of your employees might have great community ideas and already know a few colleagues who might be interested. Letting your team members suggest new community ideas is even better, as it increases the chance that people will join them and become active and engaged participants. 

Plus, allowing them to create their own communities shows your willingness to promote a people-centric work environment and support their initiatives. This is another win-win for all!

Promote the purpose of each community

Another key step to building communities that attract people’s curiosity is openly discussing why you think creating this group is a good idea and what it will bring to them. Explain its purpose and the actions you plan to implement to make it work and have a positive impact.

It shouldn’t be “another community” that doesn’t really speak to them or get them excited. They need to see the value in it to start being curious and willing to be part of it.

Consider and promote your corporate values through your workplace communities

That sounds logical, but the purpose of each community must align with the values you promote in your workplace. As said earlier, this is crucial for boosting your corporate culture and image. 

Ensure your workplace communities reflect your values and vice versa to reinforce your authenticity and trust. For example, if employee empowerment is essential to you and your workforce, a “grow and learn” community is a perfect match!

Share about the communities’ actions and successes

Sharing about what the people in these communities do and celebrating milestones is a great way to promote these groups and enhance enthusiasm toward them. Seeing concrete actions and results can create a FOMO feeling among your workforce or, at least, make them realize the benefits of this or that community and want to be part of it. The more you are, the more fun you have, the more ideas you share, and the more significant your impact!

Support your workplace communities

Building workplace communities and allowing your staff to create new ones is only the first step. Once they are in place, your help is crucial. For example, it can be through resources, leadership involvement, and open communication channels. Do they have a space to meet regularly? Are they equipped with the tools they need? How are those communities going to support themselves financially? By actively endorsing these communities, you nurture a culture of collaboration and engagement, fostering a sense of ownership among employees and ensuring the sustainability and impact of community-driven initiatives.

Organize activities that foster a sense of community at work

Some people might prefer to stay outside a workplace community for private reasons. This is OK. You can still bring a sense of community to work by organizing events and activities that gather team members together. For example, in 2015, Traeger Grills offered its employees the opportunity to cook breakfast together every Monday morning. This created a strong feeling of community and belonging and boosted workplace connection and team bonding. ¹

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🤩 Discover 17 social event ideas for work to organize for your teams!

What are the mistakes to avoid when developing workplace communities?

Force employees to join a community (or give them the feeling they have to)

Making your employees feel that being part of a community is something they must do is the opposite of what you should do. You want your team members excited about this new workplace community you’ve created or helped build. You want them to join because they want to and not because they think they must. Always remember that a community at work aims to give your staff a space that fosters workplace connection, support, and a sense of belonging.

Forget to create offline workplace communities

Long gone is the time when everyone came to the office and saw each other daily. Most teams now work with flexible schedules, plugging their laptops from various locations and sometimes even at different times. Only considering on-site communities would be a big mistake. While meeting in person is essential, fostering this sense of community online is as valuable. Virtual collaboration tools make this process very easy.

Underestimate the power of corporate values and culture

Workplace community is not only about creating groups of people with common goals and interests. It also applies to the atmosphere you develop in your work environment. Again, your organizational culture and core values play a key role in fostering this sense of community. Promoting DEI practices, supporting collaboration, enhancing team bonding, and bringing a bit of fun into the workplace are all actions that make employees feel like they are part of a community daily.

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💜 Check out these 15 team bonding activities to do with your colleagues indoors, outdoors, and online!

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How does deskbird help you foster a sense of community in your workplace?

deskbird is the workplace management app that helps organizations improve employee experience while optimizing their workspace and costs. But how does our tool contribute to building a workplace community? 

deskbird helps your staff connect and coordinate their schedules

The “week planning” feature supports hybrid teams in terms of collaboration. All team members can update their calendars weekly to let their colleagues know when they plan to work in the office or at home. As much as it helps employees to connect and coordinate their schedules, it also enables people from the same community to align their timetables to meet online or offline.

deskbird makes sharing events and sending invitations quick and easy

Either you or your communities might organize events from time to time. The deskbird app helps you communicate about it thanks to its “office event” feature. You can schedule an event and send invites to all your colleagues in a few clicks. As deskbird integrates seamlessly into Slack, MS Teams, HRIS, and your teams’ calendars, your staff doesn’t even need to open the app to be aware of the next exciting event!

deskbird enables communities to book collective spaces when they need it

As mentioned earlier, supporting your workplace communities involves providing spaces and equipment. deskbird can be used as a desk or room booking software for official and professional meetings, but it can also help your communities reserve a collective space when needed.

Building a workplace community is a top priority for organizations that want to make their workforce thrive and boost employee satisfaction, happiness, and belonging. Fostering a sense of community at work goes beyond developing connections and strengthening team bonding. It drives innovation, engagement, and talent retention while reinforcing your corporate culture. We hope this article gives you valuable insights into embracing the power of communities in the workplace and useful tips on starting to create your own!

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If you want to discover more in detail how deskbird can level up your work environment, request a free demo with our team!

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Notes: 

¹ Rekindling a Sense of Community at Work, Harvard Business Review.

² 90% Of Fortune 500 Companies Already Have A Solution To Gender Equality But Aren’t Utilizing It, Forbes.

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Sources:

• Rekindling a Sense of Community at Work, Harvard Business Review.
• Workplace Communities: Explained, cultivate.‍
• 90% Of Fortune 500 Companies Already Have A Solution To Gender Equality But Aren’t Utilizing It, Forbes.