Epoch | Building Global Connections and Enhancing Engagement in Hybrid Workplaces

Building Global Connections and Enhancing Engagement in Hybrid Workplaces

The latest Epoch Employee Experience Roundtable gathered industry professionals to discuss challenges and strategies for fostering connection and engagement in today’s evolving workplace. The discussions covered a wide range of topics, from global connectivity and mentorship programs to managing rapid growth and office space challenges.

👉 Building global connections across a global workforce

TLDR: ERGs, regional coffee chats, and topic-based Slack channels are useful tools for fostering global employee connections, helping teams feel more together regardless of their location.

Global connection strategies

• Leveraging ERGs and coffee chats: ERGs act as flag bearers to enhance connectivity within global teams. Monthly coffee chats on "No Meeting Wednesdays" provide structured and casual conversations, with breakout rooms facilitating deeper one-on-one connections across regions and departments.
• Boosting Slack engagement and hosting global events: Topic-based Slack channels like those for cooking, finance, and pets offer spaces for employees to connect over shared interests, boosting engagement, particularly after return-to-office announcements. Regular quarterly events, often focused on themes like mental health, foster a sense of community through breakout rooms that encourage deeper connections among employees.
• Adapting to different time zones: Smaller, regionally-friendly coffee chats hosted by volunteers accommodate different time zones, ensuring inclusivity and participation from global employees.

👉 Handling office locations and employee satisfaction

TLDR: Standardizing amenities and maintaining open communication are key to ensuring employee satisfaction across multiple office locations.

Office management strategies

• Standardizing amenities and supporting in-person connections: Companies have implemented standardized office amenities, such as snacks and lunches, across all locations to ensure a consistent experience while allowing local offices to create their own culture.
• Prioritizing transparency and feedback: Open communication during rapid growth is crucial. Regular updates about real estate strategies help manage employee expectations and reduce frustration. Implementing a suggestion box, either physical or digital via Slack, allows for gathering and addressing employee feedback on office-related issues, ensuring their concerns are heard and acted upon.

👉 Mentorship programs that foster long-lasting connections

TLDR: Mentorship programs that connect employees across departments are important, highlighting the value of cross-functional relationships.

Mentorship insights

• Cross-department mentorship and continuous engagement: New hires are paired with mentors from different departments to help them navigate the company and build cross-functional relationships. Initially designed as a three-week program, many mentor-mentee pairs continue their relationships for several months, indicating the program’s success in fostering deep, lasting connections. To refine the mentorship program, companies plan to survey participants to gather feedback and identify areas for improvement.

👉 Building a strong culture in smaller companies

TLDR: Establishing clear expectations for managers and creating fun, engaging activities are crucial for building a strong culture in smaller organizations.

Cultural building blocks

• Setting managerial expectations and creating engaging activities: In smaller companies, setting clear expectations for managers from the beginning ensures they support employee engagement and participate in cultural activities. Fun, engaging activities that make the office an exciting place to be—such as themed events, surprise activities, or casual get-togethers—are important in maintaining a vibrant culture.

👉 Dealing with manager pushback on employee engagement activities

TLDR: When managers resist engagement activities, finding creative ways to incorporate these outside of work hours can help maintain a balance between work and employee connection.

Strategies for overcoming resistance

• Engagement outside work hours and framing volunteer events: For managers resistant to dedicating work time to engagement activities, organizing these events outside regular hours, like group dinners or volunteer activities, can help build connections without impacting work time. Volunteer events, particularly when tied to company initiatives like Sales Kick-Offs (SKOs), can be framed as team-building experiences that also contribute to community service, helping to garner support from managers.

Want to join the conversation?

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