10 Best Practice Ideas To Develop Your Work Community
1. Prioritize Onboarding
A great workplace community starts from day one. Those first few weeks are vital and can make or break the recruit’s long-term relationship with your organization. Be sure to prioritize onboarding so that new hires feel welcome.

Whether onboarding is online or in person, give new staff access to the tools, people, and content they need. Assign a buddy as their go-to resource for any questions. Arrange meet and greets with key collaborators and co-workers. Finally, set up informal social gatherings so that the hire can develop personal connections with colleagues. If a shared team lunch isn’t possible, take it online with a virtual one. These informal social occasions are critical in helping new employees feel part of the workplace community right away.

2. Set Up Regular Team Huddles
Less formal than team meetings, online or in-person 15-minute huddles are perfect for developing workplace community. Face-to-face interaction, even if it’s pixelated, builds connections. Use huddles to share personal as well as project or company updates. And why not give employees the opportunity to shoutout co-workers who go the extra mile. Furthermore, use huddles to motivate staff with words of encouragement and support. A problem shared is a problem halved. So, discuss roadblocks in team huddles and brainstorm solutions.

3. Give Everyone A Voice
According to Forbes, 74 percent of staff who feel heard report they are more effective at their jobs. Having an organizational voice is vital for all staff, from executives to those on the frontline. Employee pulse surveys, Q&A forums, town hall meetings, and lunch and learns give workers that all-important say. These conversations nurture connections and help build community. Even better, they can spark new ideas and innovations and are excellent ways to share knowledge. However, be willing to accept some honest feedback and even criticism. Your workplace community will be all the stronger for it.

4. Find Out What Staff Really Think
Not all employees feel comfortable speaking out in public forums. So, to find out what staff really think, ask them in anonymous surveys and questionnaires. These tools are another way to give employees a voice.

Annual surveys give you a baseline assessment of where the workforce is at and what’s important. You can track changes over time and compare yourself to others in the industry. Shorter pulse surveys are helpful when you want quick feedback on a specific issue. And tried and tested focus groups are still an excellent option for gauging employees’ opinions. 5. Develop A Culture Of Appreciation
Recognizing and rewarding employees is incredibly motivating. Make recognition a daily part of your workplace, and you will be well on the way to creating a powerful community. Shoutouts on team chat or daily huddles, public thank-yous, and reward schemes are great ways to show appreciation. And while commendations from managers are essential, so too is peer-to-peer recognition. Therefore, be sure to include ways for co-workers to shine a kudos spotlight on their colleagues.

6. Strengthen Team Bonds
Personal connections are the foundation for strong communities. To make this happen, give your workers spaces where they can come together socially. Water coolers and coffee machines are obvious focal points for informal gatherings. Casual conversations about plans for the weekend while making a brew strengthen the bonds between colleagues. Breakout rooms with comfortable sofas, lunchtime yoga, even an office ping pong table are also great options.

And you can create virtual options for those workers not in the office. Use business IM and set up #timeout channels where colleagues can connect informally. And why not schedule monthly coffee catchups on Zoom, where work-related chat is banned.

What’s important here is the opportunity to chat informally with co-workers. Casual conversations are essential for building connections, a sense of belonging, and a dynamic workplace community.

7. Promote Team Building
Company retreats, taco Tuesdays, and a night out at a local restaurant are time-honored ways to promote team building. Getting out of the office once in a while to socialize together fosters friendship and camaraderie. And those bonds continue back in the workplace. Even remote or on-the-road workers can usually be available with sufficient notice and some planning. However, virtual get-togethers work just as well – think quizzes, bake-offs, or happy hours.

A work-sponsored sports team is another good idea. However, be careful not to alienate those who are unable or unwilling to participate.

A safer bet might be a group activity such as a treasure hunt or ten-pin bowling. Even better, why not ask staff for their views on team outings. That way, you will also give your workers that all-important voice.

8. Encourage Volunteering Programs
Doing great work in the neighborhood is a sure-fire way to develop the feel-good community spirit. Charity walks, beach clean-ups, or helping at the food bank will generate a ton of positive vibes in the workplace. Find out what causes are important to your people, and be sure to support individual or group efforts. Not only will you strengthen your work community, but you will also raise your brand profile. Your business will get full kudos for doing good in the local community.

9. Support Knowledge Sharing
Most people prefer to learn from colleagues rather than from handbooks. If an employee encounters an issue at work, asking a co-worker’s advice is usually the first response. Learning is a social experience, and sharing skills and knowledge is excellent for building work communities. And it also makes good business sense. Knowledge sharing drives innovation and creativity and leads to better decision-making.

Encourage your people to share their expertise with peer-led workshops, lunch and learns, and explainer videos. 10. Share Workers’ Bios And Personal Stories
Online employee directories help cement personal relationships, especially for remote workers. Vibrant and dynamic, these employee profiles are a world away from the paper versions of old. They are opportunities to showcase knowledge, expertise, and current work projects alongside basic contact details. Personal stories really bring the bios to life, with workers sharing their hobbies, interests, and families.

As hybrid working becomes commonplace, employee profiles ensure workers get to know each other. Profiles make it possible to develop workplace communities and camaraderie in a way that might otherwise be missing.