Something is lost, but something is found
A year of experiments in human connection – what works
The last year has been an experiment in many things. Not least in how to create and sustain human connection when people are apart. Even for already fully remote organisations, there has been a lot to learn. Because working through a pandemic, isn’t just about where you work. It’s about working against a backdrop of human anxiety, of overlapping and competing work and life responsibilities, and against massive organisational change.
To understand how organisations have responded – and what works – we’ve spoken to people in a variety of roles (HR, engagement, L&D, comms and leadership) in organisations small and large in the UK and US. What we’ve discovered is that no-one has all the answers. Those organisations that have made the best progress in connecting and sustaining connections are those that have been prepared to listen to their people and co-create experiments with them.
This is new territory and taking a top down (or comms out) approach to connecting people does not work. What does, is pausing to spot opportunities to build in connection points. It takes creativity and empathy. And being prepared to experiment, learn and constantly iterate. What works one month, may be tired (over-laboured, naff, clunky or just tedious) the next.
There has been a lot of noise in recent months talking about all the things organisations have tried. It’s all got a bit messy. And it can feel very tactical – and often somewhat removed from what people really want and need.
To try and make sense of this and provide a framework for thinking, spotting connection opportunities and realising them, we’ve identified five categories or moments for connection.
Hosted moments – online communities and groups that support social connection and sharing, eg runners’ networks, cooking-during-COVID, Netflix reccs and much more.
Everyday moments – routine get-togethers engineered to enable greater virtual connection, eg meetings, workshops and stand-ups where off-topic conversation is just as important as the work itself.
Drumbeat moments – regular company events that have shifted to virtual spaces, eg town halls, business updates.
Created moments – creatively designed events for teams and groups to engage and connect, eg training programmes, team or departmental celebrations.
Iconic moments – stand-out events that happen at key moments in the organisational calendar and involve a large part of the organisation, eg an annual company event, a product launch.
Find out more about these connection opportunities and the experiments happening in each area in our new report:
How to Create Connection in a Distributed Organisation –
Lessons from Experiments in Engagement, Culture and L&D
