For employees to be engaged, they need to feel connected to their team, the vision, the company and their work. When we enable that connection, it is similar to connecting the wire to the power source, allowing the electrons to flow, creating electricity. This electricity is the power that drives employee engagement and social connection in the team.
According to research by Ed Diener (Aka Dr Happiness) and Shawn Anchor (author of “The Happiness Advantage”) social connection is the factor with the greatest correlation to happiness in the workplace. Connection enables a supportive environment to thrive, happiness in the workplace to rise and productivity to soar. Not only are happier employees nicer to have around and easier to lead, they are also more productive.
When employees feel socially connected to each other they are unlikely to want to leave the organisation and retention improves. Bonusly's Employee Engagement and Modern Workplace Report found that “Actively Engaged” employees are much less likely to leave your organization, with only 16% of them in the hunt for a new job compared to 66% of their “Actively Disengaged” counterparts. Often the only thing retaining a disengaged employee is “the people I work with make me want to stay, I do not want to let them down”. However, this needs to be supported by connection to the vision of the company and the work that they are doing.
One of the best workplace cultures I have ever experienced was on a Fly in Fly out mine, the employees knew each other well, they lived, worked, and socialised together. They genuinely cared about each other and the culture of the whole site. They were uncompromising in their mission to retain that caring yet productive culture. As a collective, they were supportive, knew the strengths and weaknesses of each other (it was often the subject of some good-hearted jokes), believed in the vision of the mine and were dedicated to hitting production targets whilst focusing on safety. As a result, the retention of staff was one of the highest I have ever seen yet, if someone wasn’t performing the greater team would let them know and that situation would be resolved amicably and fairly in a collegiate manner.
The challenge we have in this COVID-19 era is how to maintain social connection whist being spatially distant. Let me assure you this is possible to achieve with some innovative thinking and the right guidance. Please see the attached document for the “Curious Questions to Drive Connection” that you can use in team meetings or one on one. Genuine curiosity in others is the kick start to connection.