Page 22 - AASBO EDGE Spring 2025

HUMAN RESOURCES

BY JENNA MOFFITT, M. ED., SHRM-SCP
The Importance of Workplace Connections – A

Strategy for Engagement and Retention
Jenna Moffitt

In today’s workplace, fostering genuine connections their roles, which improves performance and fosters
among employees is not just a nicety — it’s a a culture of excellence.
strategic imperative. Research and literature,
including insights from books like Primed to Perform Connections During Orientation and Beyond
by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor, I Love It An organization needs to take thoughtful and practical
Here by Clint Pulver, and Shawn Achor’s studies on action to assist all employees with opportunities to
happiness, underscore the profound impact of peer connect with others. A crucial opportunity to build
connections on employee engagement, productivity, these connections is during the onboarding process.
and retention. Research shows that employees who establish strong
peer relationships during orientation are more likely
Why Connections Matter to stay with their organizations long-term. Creating
Connections in the workplace serve as the bedrock a culture of connection early on can set the stage
for a positive organizational culture. According to for sustained engagement. Clint Pulver, in I Love It
Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, Here, emphasizes that employees want to feel seen,
social connections are the greatest predictors of heard, and valued. Building authentic relationships
happiness and resilience in the workplace. during the orientation process can fulfill this
need and signal to new hires that they’re joining
"Employees who feel connected a supportive community, but don’t leave it there.

to their peers are more likely Take the steps necessary to ensure the employee has
a structured orientation and “peer plan” for the first
to experience higher levels of year of their employment.
engagement, improved mental health,
and greater overall satisfaction with Practical Strategies to Foster Workplace
Connections
their roles." Encourage Collaboration: Collaboration is
essential to positive engagement in the workplace
These benefits translate directly into productivity because it fosters a sense of shared purpose, trust,
gains and lower turnover rates. and mutual respect among team members. When
employees work together, they build relationships,
In Primed to Perform, Doshi and McGregor highlight share diverse perspectives, and develop innovative
that one of the key drivers of "total motivation" solutions, which leads to higher motivation and
— a measure of how effectively individuals are productivity. Structured collaboration ensures that
motivated to perform — is a sense of belonging and these interactions are purposeful and effective.
purpose derived from interpersonal relationships.
When employees build strong peer connections, Formal protocols, such as clearly defined roles,
they’re more likely to bring intrinsic motivation to meeting agendas, and decision-making processes,
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22 THE EDGE SPRING 2025