A recent survey by Reward Gateway found that two thirds (66%) of UK employees don’t feel a sense of connection or belonging at work. When people feel connected with their team and workplace culture this can lead to improvements in their wellbeing, engagement, and performance.
Creating that connection at work takes more than good intentions. Employee engagement, inclusivity and company culture are all essential ingredients for building workplace wellbeing, creating meaningful connections and reducing loneliness.
Watch a summary of this blog
This Westfield Health webinar includes expert panellists Vicky Walker (Chief People Officer at Westfield Health), Cathy Lawson (Independent Workplace Health and Wellbeing Consultant, MHFA Instructor and Coach) and Stephanie Carey (Associate Director & Wellbeing Lead (UK Advisory), CBRE UK).
The importance of workplace connection
Social wellbeing is one of the four pillars of wellbeing (joined by mental, physical and financial wellbeing). We are inherently social beings. This means in order to feel our best and take care of our mental health and wellbeing, we benefit from meaningful relationships, having a sense of belonging and receiving emotional support.
“The workplace provides an incredible environment where we can feel connected to other people, where we feel that we can contribute, we can feel like there is something bigger than ourselves.”
Cathy Lawson, Independent Workplace Health and Wellbeing Consultant, MHFA Instructor and Coach
Without these things, employees can experience loneliness, low self-worth, increased stress and anxiety. With the average full time worker spending almost 37 hours per week at their job, it’s crucial for our wellbeing to have a sense of belonging in the workplace.
How to create an inclusive culture
There can be a lot of difficulties within businesses when it comes to creating an inclusive culture. This can include challenges that come with managing hybrid and remote teams, the increase in presenteeism amongst employees (going from 45% to 50% in the last year) and having limited resources.
Some things to consider when you’re building a more inclusive culture include:
- Being aware of personal biases. If someone isn’t as vocal in the workplace, this doesn’t mean they don’t have the potential to be a top performer.
- Neurodiversity awareness. One in seven people in our workplaces are neurodivergent. Consider matching communication methods and ways of working that allow employees to thrive.
- Mental Health First Aid. 43% of UK employees took at least one day off due to mental health in 2024. Reducing the stigma around mental health and being able to have confident conversations to support employees will create a more inclusive culture.
Building connection and inclusivity into workplaces
Building cultures takes time, patience and commitment from everyone in an organisation. To build this culture it’s imperative to be person-centric and avoid a general box-ticking exercise.
“We might think equality means being fair, but actually that’s not necessarily the case. What’s working for one person is not going to be working for somebody else. So, it’s important that when we’re looking at equality, we’re actually meeting people where they’re at, not where we think they need to be.”
Vicky Walker, Chief People Officer at Westfield Health
The most important message for being an inclusive employer is that talking to employees is the key to gaining understanding of what matters most. The focus for one business may not match another; their people are different. Embrace different preferences and gather feedback on the changes you make to see what is effective. Businesses may not get everything right first time, but patience is key.
Download our free wellbeing strategy workbook
Our free wellbeing strategy e-book gives insights to adapt your wellbeing strategy, reshape workplace culture and be more inclusive to your employees. It includes employee survey examples that can help see the blind spots to improve connection in the workplace.
Delivering these benefits requires a workplace wellbeing programme that is designed around your organisation’s needs and fully supported by leadership.
