Enabling for time for employees to network and socialize with each other during the work week encourages and promotes:
- Sharing of knowledge and best practices
- Transfer of skills
- Innovative ideas and creativity in problem solving
- Less conflict among employees due to stronger relationships and more open communications
Enabling for networking time does not have to take away from getting the work done! Rather, organizations will find the work gets done better when employees have stronger relationships with each other and rely on each other to support work efforts.
Consider these simple ways to support employee networking time:
- Provide free coffee during “coffee hours” throughout the morning and afternoon for employees to gather
- Host brown bag lunches for small groups of employees each week with a particular topic on the agenda for discussion (such as an org problem to be solved)
- Provide pizza and salad lunches a few times a month to encourage employees to gather and chat
- Set up an internal site (portal) where employees can “talk” with each other and share information, ask questions, get support on projects, solve problems, etc.
- Provide a comfortable break room or café area with chairs, tables and sofas for employees to relax and catch up with each other
These are just a few ways to encourage and promote employee networking within the organization. None of these methods costs significant money and they all help to create a comfortable environment for employees to spend time getting to know each other.
