Community at Work

When we think of the word community, our thoughts often turn to settings outside of work, such as the school community, or maybe a faith group or a local group that we support. However, the ‘community’ most of us engage with on a daily basis is more likely to be in the workplace.

Being part of a positive workplace community is a key contributor to how we feel at work. According to the largest study of worker wellbeing, the key determinant of wellbeing at work is ‘belonging’ and even outranks pay as the number one, closely followed by flexibility and inclusivity. So, what does belonging at work mean? Essentially it is about your company caring about you as a person, having friends at work, and having conversations and interactions with co-workers that aren’t about work.

This isn’t just a 'nice-to-have' though; being part of a workplace community, where you have a sense of belonging, directly corresponds with improved mental health and wellbeing, performance and productivity. Moreover, employees who feel connected to their colleagues are less likely to experience stress, anxiety, or burnout. A 2023 study found that 60% of UK workers felt more motivated when they had strong workplace relationships. This sense of belonging also lifts wellbeing, making people feel valued and supported. Moreover, Gallup research shows that highly engaged teams are 23% more productive. A tight-knit community fosters accountability and loyalty, reducing turnover and boosting output. In short, happy, connected workers are better workers.

Does size matter?

Whilst we tend to find it’s the larger corporates that have greater resources and budgets to support mental health and wellbeing at work, when it comes to building communities it’s the smaller organisations that have the edge. This is just as well given that 99% of private organisations in the UK employ between 1 and 49 people. With fewer employees, its much easier to know people’s names, interests and what they’re about; this more naturally lends itself to building connections, and a sense of community. Larger organisations, on the other hand, might have more budget for formal team building activities and wellbeing initiatives but it’s the informal relationships and flatter hierarchies in smaller organisations that can lead to more open communication and collective values.

The three C’s to creating communities at work

At Charlie Waller Workplace we engage with 100s of organisations each year, large and small, and have observed three key components that help build communities at work.

1. Culture – we can’t really think about community without first thinking about the culture in which the community grows. One person described it in this way: “Culture is the soil, community is the garden — if you want communities to grow, you have to cultivate the right culture.” One key contributor to creating a positive workplace culture is ensuring a climate of psychological safety. This type of environment helps people to feel safe to speak up with ideas or concerns, to ask for help and also to challenge the status quo without fear of rejection. Research has shown that psychologically safe workplaces are one of the key determinants of greater productivity, more innovation, lower turnover and higher engagement.
2. Connection – a healthy culture which fosters psychological safety, inclusion and respect helps to create communities where people naturally connect and look out for each other. If you compare it to the reverse, ie a culture that is toxic with a fragmented workforce who feel excluded, work in silos or under constant pressure, it will leave people feeling isolated and unsafe and unlikely to want to connect with each other. When leaders and employees model openness, empathy, and collaboration, they actively build community and enhance connection through their behaviour. Given the strong evidence that links connection to better physical and mental health as well as higher engagement and stronger performance, it is clear that providing opportunities for connection are essential to any workplace.
3. Compassion – the final part of this piece is about ‘how’ we look out and respond to each other, during times of trouble. Compassion is what creates supportive cultures. Here are some questions you can ask yourself about your environment to evaluate its levels of compassion: 

• Do you have the sense that other people in your organisation would be concerned about you if you were upset or struggling?
• Would they help you find a way forward and get the support you needed?
• We can see this as the 3 R’s – Recognise when someone is struggling, Relate to them by tuning into what they are feeling and Respond by offering help or simply listen and acknowledge what they are going through.

Strengthen community in your workplace

We’ve created a 45-minute interactive webinar designed to help teams reconnect, support one another, and strengthen workplace culture. It can be delivered in person, online or pre-recorded.

The cost for live delivery is £395 and all profits from Charlie Waller Workplace are invested in the Charlie Waller Trust to provide free training and educational materials to support young people. To book, please email jo.lea@charliewaller.org. 

Find out more about our workplace webinars.