Fostering A Sense Of Family At Work

Every organisation wants to do well, that’s a given, and all too often they find themselves faltering and falling behind, not because their goods and services aren’t up to scratch, but simply because the workplace culture isn’t as robust as it could be.

Even if you have the best product offering out there, if you don’t have a team of people backing you up and supporting you all the way, giving you their all as employees, the cracks are sure to appear sooner rather than later.

Much has been said in the past about the benefits of looking at your organisation as a family,  with a recent survey revealing that 55 per cent of staff members would prefer for their place of work to have this kind of feel, with tradition and loyalty at the core.

Other studies indicate that maintaining close friendships at work helps people to feel happier in their roles, as well as enjoying lots of other psychological benefits… with the main one being engendering a sense of belonging.

It is this sense of belonging that ultimately lies at the heart of what family is all about and if you can successfully engender this within your organisation, you’re sure to see productivity start to climb.  What about customer satisfaction, safety, quality, etc?

It all comes down to making people feel safe and secure enough to embrace their true selves at work. When they’re no longer hiding behind a mask, their true potential can be unleashed, innovation can thrive and your organisation can grow and progress.

But how do you best go about fostering this sense of belonging? How do you create a sense of community in the workplace?

The overall aim is to create a positive work environment by ensuring people are properly supported both in and out of the workplace, that they feel included and that there’s a culture of respect across and between all levels and departments. 

Once this has been firmly established, you’ll find that collaboration and engagement increase and that people are more inclined to give you their best.

To this end, prioritising communication is an absolute must. People at all levels of the organisation must feel that they’re free to communicate their ideas and opinions in a safe space, without the fear of judgement or reprisal.

Equally, putting the onus on collaboration and having common goals will help you drive success your way, as well as ensuring that your members of staff are able to pursue their own career goals and aspirations within your company. Staff need to see that what they do matters and they can connect this to delivery of the company’s goals.

Once you’ve developed a workplace culture that puts family at its heart, you’ll soon see how your workforce is transformed, becoming highly engaged, incredibly loyal and intensely productive. The end result? A thriving organisation that’s at the top of its game.

Want to find out more? The WhyNot Partnering team are always on hand to help. Get in touch today to see what we can achieve together.