How to Foster Social Connections for Remote and In-Office Teams

Whether your organisation functions remotely or on-site, fostering social connection in your teams is key. After all, connections keep your business and its people going. And when your people can communicate effectively, you can create an environment that’s engaging to work in.

The Campaign to End Loneliness found that loneliness affects 49% of people in the UK, and sadly, it can put people at greater risk of poor mental health, including depression. If an individual’s mental health worsens as a result of loneliness, it wouldn’t be surprising to see absence rates increase as a result. But how can organisations step in and help?

With much of our lives spent in the workplace, it’s only normal to want to form social connections. Plus, as an employer, you have a duty of care to support your people’s wellbeing. How can you foster social connections to help your organisation, and how can it be facilitated for remote or on-site teams?

Why is social interaction and support important in the workplace?

Social interaction is important in the workplace because it can create a more positive and productive environment to work in. Even forming friendships at work has been shown to improve overall happiness and engagement.

Positive Psychology states that close relationships with others are linked to our physical health too, as from a biological standpoint, they build certain systems that may protect against the effects of stress. It also promotes important workplace elements such as trust, a sense of belonging, respect and confidence.

From an organisation’s perspective, this is key for engagement and productivity, as happier people mean better work performance overall. It can also be an opportunity to connect departments and collaborate on ideas that may have never been considered before.

Remote vs on-site

Whilst on-site teams generally build a stronger connection through regular, face-to-face interaction. On the other hand, remote teams do not have the same luxury and are often inadvertently excluded or left behind as a result. Some organisations function remotely or hybrid due to their model, and if that is the working mode they adopt, regular social connection with colleagues is even more important to ensure a sense of belonging and positive workplace culture.

What are the benefits of strong social connections for organisations?

When your organisation facilitates social connections, no matter the working mode, your organisation and its people can benefit greatly. Here are just some of the benefits you may observe:

Employee engagement

Your people will be more likely to engage with their work, give greater focus to career progression and even be prepared to take on additional projects. This is because social connections bring people together, helps people motivate one another and can contribute to overall happiness. This is great from an organisation’s perspective, as it means output and productivity is likely to be much stronger than if your team was disengaged.

Higher talent retention

Generally speaking, if people are happy and feel belonging in their place of work, then they’ll have less of a reason to leave. In fact, BetterUp found that employees who feel they belong are 167% more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work to others – so this can help with talent and recruitment too.

Improved employee wellbeing and morale

Isolation has been shown to lead to burnout, team conflict, stress and even a poor work-life balance. However, when people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace, these effects can be mitigated and ensure people don’t feel isolated from their colleagues.

A positive working culture and job satisfaction

Good relationships with colleagues are essential to job satisfaction, according to 77% of workers in the Institute of Leadership & Management’s study ‘New Decade, New Direction’.

Cross-functional collaboration

Teams with a high level of social connection, whether remote or in-office, are better able to come up with innovative ideas and solve problems collaboratively. It inspires creativity, trust and even psychological safety. This is both beneficial for your people as well as your organisation’s overall culture.

How to facilitate social connections for remote and in-office teams

Now that we know the importance of fostering social connections for remote and in-office teams and the benefits for your organisation, let’s dive into how you can implement this in your team.

Remote

1. Have virtual morning meetings

It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the mornings, but kicking off the day right can make a world of a difference. Encourage social connection for your remote teams by carving out time every day, even just for 10 minutes, to catch up with your remote teammates and ensure they have everything they need to crack on.

2. Host online spaces unrelated to work

Making all meetings work-related doesn’t exactly give remote workers much of a break. Think about how you’d set up a quick in-office break or fun activity and try to create a virtual version of it. You could have meetings dedicated to:

• Skill or hobby sharing

• ‘Happy’ hours

• Coffee breaks

• Walking breaks

3. Encourage a meet-up

Give your remote team a social event to look forward to by hosting an in-person meet-up. Location is key, so have a think about settings that foster social connections such as a restaurant for lunch or a summer barbecue. Make it so that your people need to RSVP, rather than turn up as mandatory to relieve any pressure. It’s also a good idea to facilitate travel expenses for remote workers who live further away from your meet-up.

4. Encourage wellness

It’s very easy to blur the lines between remote working and personal time. Make wellness social by hosting virtual meditation, yoga or other wellness activities that can be done remotely. It can give your people something to bond over (or even have a laugh!), as well as encourage physical and mental wellness in individuals.

5. Encourage outdoor meetings

Remote teams may not live close to one another, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make meetings social. To get conversations flowing and remove the rigidity of routine meetings, encourage your team to get outdoors and connect to a meeting virtually. It could even double-up as a fun activity by getting individuals to share their local scenery or favourite coffee spot.

In-office

1. Promote wellness activities

Similarly to our remote teams point, be sure to promote wellness activities for on-site workers. This can take form in wellness challenges to gamify the process and get people feeling social. Whether it’s a stationary bike competition or a sports league for those more interested in traditional sports, a little friendly competition is amazing for morale and social activity. Alternatively, things like meditation, yoga and other wellness-based classes can work wonders for bringing individuals together.

2. Schedule regular check-ins

Regular team check-ins that aren’t necessarily work-related can help spark fun and interesting conversations between individuals in your team. It could be about an individuals’ interest they may have shared in the office, something funny they saw in the news, how they feel about a popular show on TV.

3. Team-building activities

There are tons of team-building activities you can implement, but it’s worth getting your team’s input on these to ensure they’re a good fit. Sometimes team-building can feel intimidating, so it’s a good idea to make this employee led. This in itself can also encourage social interaction and help individuals understand one another!

4. Implement recognition and milestone celebrations

Having regular celebrations of organisational and individual goals are incredible for morale – particularly within teams. This can help your people stay motivated, as well as help others recognise each other’s efforts to encourage purpose and engagement in the work they do together.

5. Create designated social zones

Having set spaces away from people’s regular workstations that are quiet and separated from the noise of the rest of the office can work wonders in encouraging social connections at work. They can be used as break areas and for collaborative tasks too – which in turn boosts interaction between individuals and teams. They’re also great way to implement a space for your people to de-stress and recharge.

Your role as leaders in promoting social connections at work

Managers and leaders play a critical role in fostering connection for remote and in-office workers. They set the tone, so modelling healthy interactions and social behaviour yourself can encourage your team to want to do the same. Plus, by taking the time to be social with people on an individual level too, you can help connect them with others in the organisation if their interests align. This is not only a great way to lead, but it also shows you care about their development, professional and social needs.

How can an Employee Assistance Programme help with fostering social connections at work?

Some individuals may not know where to begin when it comes to social interactions at work. Many factors come into play, and ultimately, leaders need to break down barriers for accessible social interactions. One such way you can also support your people is by signing up for an employee assistance programme (EAP). An EAP gives your people access to a counsellor whenever they need it and can help them overcome any personal barriers when it comes to socialising at work with structured lessons to guide them through any issues they may be facing.

Conclusion

Leaders must set the tone when it comes to fostering social connections for remote and in-office teams. The former requires particular attention, given there’s the added barrier of individuals working in isolation from their teams for most of their working day. By encouraging initiatives that bring people together, practicing what you preach whilst also balancing activities with no added pressure, you can slowly and organically bring people together – no matter their working mode.