Workplace community-building offers companies a unique opportunity to tackle retention issues by showing them the path to unlocking the power of togetherness, diversity and collective fulfillment. A thriving workplace culture strengthened by community building is only possible when Diversity and Inclusion are part of the picture.

Diversity and Inclusion is any action, practice, process, policy or strategy that helps an environment foster equal opportunities, respect and celebration of individuals’ uniqueness.

Maybe you can spot something your organization is already doing well or perhaps you find something new that could be implemented!

1. Design experiences for team building that create strategic but meaningful connections between people. This could include finding better ways to meet, streamlining how teams work, and creating holistic agendas for team development. E.g. not only meeting to discuss the work, but also meeting to talk about team dynamics, cultures, pathways for feedback, etc.
2. Build a leadership culture and workplace governance that fosters diversity, equity and belonging (inclusive leadership). Community-building approaches are people-centric by nature and have the potential to create more fertile soil for Diversity and Inclusion strategies to grow and support the whole team. It’s important that everyone feels valued, appreciated and supported in the workplace to do their job well. All leaders in your company should fully support and celebrate this.
3. Prioritize growth over internal competition. This fosters safer environments where everyone can thrive. It’s about a collaborative approach that supports everyone in the team to develop their skills, enhance their sense of purpose and continue evolving. You can foster this through development opportunities, learning paths, leadership support, and workplace training.
4. Rethink the way you define roles and responsibilities. Instead of locking people inside their role, set of responsibilities or departments, prioritize a holistic approach to people’s skillset and talents. This enables your company to build more cross-functional relationships across the organizations, broaden people’s function and scope of work and allow them to find purpose in connecting with different people and areas of the organization (don’t confuse holistic approach to roles and responsibilities for a way to force your people to wear many hats, overwork and work two or more jobs at once!)
5. Have clear community values and practices that the whole team understands and practices. Community values and practices engineer better collaboration, re-engine purpose-driven attitudes and bring people to the center of the company execution plan. This means everyone feels part of something bigger, knows and sees their contribution, and knows they are appreciated and valued for that. So they can play an active role in shaping the path and grow through the experience of being part of the team or the company.

Workplace community-building it’s not just about giving people more opportunities to meet and know each other. It’s certainly not about creating an artificial experience of “family” within the company.

It’s about leveraging the potential of a group of talented and diverse people to work toward a shared goal. This not only benefits a company’s overall strategy toward success, but also creates a meaningful shared experience for their team.

We design workplace community solutions to help your teams work better together and create experiences that deliver, whilst fostering a sense of inclusion and belonging.

Check out our 10+ Tips To Build A Thriving Workplace Culture in 2023.

Read our “Culture & Experience Labs For Team” Offer to learn more and schedule a call to design a unique workshop experience for your team!