There’s a paradox in the global workforce.

More workers want fully remote or flexible work options — and they’re even willing to leave their current employer if they don’t get these options. Yet they miss the in-person interactions with their coworkers that a physical workspace makes so easy.

These interactions help us build social connectivity at work. Without it, employees report being less productive and collaborative than they were pre-COVID-19. “Social connectivity is the muscle that builds trust, strengthens partnerships and alignment, fosters inclusion, and creates psychological safety,” says Stacey Thompson, Former Director of People at Commsor.

“These factors in turn affect how employees experience a sense of belonging. It’s the difference between suppressing or spurring on a healthy workplace culture — the antidote to fragmented teams, disengagement, and even burnout.”

With the rise of remote and hybrid work, organizations need to be proactive in creating a work culture that fosters human connection and a sense of belonging within their teams. “Building intentional connections must be a priority that garners time, attention, and resources so everyone can reap the benefits,” says Stacey.

The benefits include a positive impact on employee retention — a challenge for Human Resources teams in a time when people have other options. “Better connections equal better outcomes for everyone,” says Stacey. “It should be embedded in the culture in a way that is self-sustaining by empowering all employees to contribute to a culture of connection.”

Meetsy by Commsor will help you do just that.

What is Meetsy?

Meetsy is a platform built for creating intentional one-to-one connections in a diverse group of people. It can connect members on your team based on anything you choose, from location to role at work to passions. Meetsy allows people in distributed and hybrid organizations to meet teammates whose paths they might not have otherwise crossed — even in an in-person setting. Its built-in video capabilities remove the geographical barriers to remote team bonding, letting teammates connect from wherever they live and work best.

Meetsy also facilitates meetings with small groups of people who share common interests, giving them a place to meet and nurturing an inclusive workplace.

How can Meetsy help you build a stronger team?

Make people-centered connections integral to your company’s culture

Match, connect, and engage like-minded people based on criteria you can fully customize — hobbies, location, team, experience… it’s up to you! An engineer might be matched with someone in accounting, a C-suite executive might be matched with an intern. The anticipation of who you’ll be matched with can be exciting, foster collaboration and new ideas, create lasting relationships, and bust the siloed nature of many companies wide open.

Help your team learn how to work with one another

Each employee can create a Personal User Guide (PUG) that shares when and how they work — from the nitty-gritty like timezones and communication preferences to big picture things like how they respond to stress. You can tailor your PUG questions to your company values, help reduce communication gaps, and improve collaboration.

Give new employees a great onboarding experience

Meetsy can tie directly into your Human Resources Information Systems and onboard new employees to your company’s Meetsy account without any manual effort for your HR team. New employees are empowered to build their PUG and answer signup questions so you can start including them in Match Programs straight away.

Create a mentorship program

You can support a culture of learning, fuel leadership development, and encourage personal and professional growth in your team. Our algorithm will match people who are looking for mentorship with those who want to mentor others so they can build focused, long-term 1-1 relationships.

Support Employee Resource Groups

Meetsy can also bring together groups of people who are passionate about the same issues. You can foster diversity and inclusion and create a safe space where your employees feel valued and engaged with one another and with your organization as a whole.

4 tips for building intentional connections with Meetsy

1. Be creative in the ways you connect your team

It’s not just about meeting someone who works from another country or in another team. You can use Meetsy to run a book club, build a mentorship program, create a group for parents, or maybe even host a fitness challenge. The options are endless, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach — but if you’re unsure about what your team is looking for, ask them. They’ll likely hold a wealth of knowledge and ideas about where you may have gaps around connection, as well as ideas to fill these gaps.

2. Set signup questions with the big picture in mind

Your signup questions are the foundation for a successful Meetsy group, so consider the different types of connections you want to make and tailor your questions accordingly. Are they a new hire, interested in mentorship or being a mentor, have a unique skill or talent, have specific goals? Our Match Engagement algorithm uses these questions to create the best matches and can add your members to audiences generated from these questions.

3. Use a blend of art and science to create conversation prompts

Don’t lose sight of the purpose of the conversation and the objectives you want to accomplish, and build the prompts with these outcomes in mind. Prompts that work well are directional, thought-provoking, and encourage organic and authentic conversation.

For example, if you’re creating a book club program through Meetsy to promote connections around similar interests, a generic question like “What did you think of the book?” is so open ended  it may not stimulate conversation in the way you hope. More direct, open-ended questions could look like, “How did your opinion of the book change as you read it?” or “What scene stuck with you the most?”

4. Make a Meetsy match something to look forward to

Create Match Engagements that your team cares about and are fun! From business conversations to hot topics, employees are less likely to feel fatigued if they’re excited about why they are meeting.

Establish best practices that will make these meetings both impactful and refreshing for your team. You could make it a safe space for people to turn off their cameras, either when they’re not speaking or for the entire call, so they don’t feel they have to be ‘on’ for the whole meeting and can be their authentic selves.

Not using Meetsy yet? Book a demo.

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Sources:

1. What employees are saying about the future of remote work – McKinsey & Company
2. The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work — Are We Ready? – Microsoft Work Trend Index
3. What 12,000 Employees Have to Say About the Future of Remote Work – Boston Consulting Group