![]() If you don’t give your groups a seat at the table, you’re missing out on a wealth of input and ingenuity. Employee affinity groups have helped companies move into new markets, launch new lines, and ensure that their products and services are inclusive for all desired customer segments. Ideally, give each leader a budget and an executive sponsor, equip them with group management and marketing tools, and ensure every employee knows that active participation is both allowed and encouraged. Support doesn’t have to come in the form of a large amount of money, or even be monetary at all though just ensure that your employees have the tools and autonomy to accomplish their objectives. Once you’ve empowered your employees to determine what affinity groups should be created and who will run them, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Consulting employees from day one on the other hand, ensures employee investment from the very beginning, enabling you to build successful programs grounded in a strong base of employee support and participation. When initiatives are launched at employees rather than with them, things wind up feeling forced and inauthentic. Determining what groups will be offered through a top-down process without employee buy-in will hinder your program from the very start. In order for employee affinity groups to reach their full potential, employers must follow workers’ lead. The tips below will help you ensure your groups fall in the latter category, rather than being purely social. At their best however, affinity groups provide crucial support, especially for employees from underrepresented backgrounds, drive business outcomes, and enhance employer brands. We use the term ‘worst’ here very lightly, as even social groups can have significant positive impacts on employee morale and wellbeing. Top tips for ensuring your affinity groups drive positive business outcomesĪt their worst, employee affinity groups exist as social organizations that may ramp up or down in activity based on who is leading them at any given time. Luckily, employee affinity groups can counter all of this. Poor colleague relationships and exclusion in general contribute to lower productivity and a negative company culture, both of which result in reduced business success. More than half of the respondents also reported that they would decline a higher-paying job opportunity if it meant they wouldn’t get along with their colleagues, presenting a challenge to companies looking to attract and retain top talent. Another study found that 70% of employees believe that having friends at work is the single biggest contributor to a happy work life. Studies have shown that workers who lack colleague friendships are significantly more likely to be disengaged and to wind up leaving the company. On that note, the evidence is clear that building strong relationships between your employees can be a boon to your bottom line. With nearly 4,000 days of heavy smoking – over a full decade – at stake, do your employees and your business a favor by taking steps to encourage productive connections between team members. The average person will spend 90,000 hours of their lives working that’s a full third of their time on Earth. This need translates to the workplace as well. In fact, one study found that feeling lonely and socially isolated is as detrimental to a person’s health as smoking an entire pack of cigarettes per day. Even among introverts, having positive social interactions and a reliable support system of relationships is critical for wellbeing. How affinity groups meet crucial needs and what that means for your businessĪristotle first noted that ‘humans are social animals,’ and the statement is no less true today than when it originated. If you’re interested in leveraging them to supercharge company culture and employee engagement this year, read on to learn our five top tips for maximizing the impact of employee affinity groups. Even if your company hasn’t formalized any official groups, there may be grassroots efforts that are active within your organization. Affinity groups can be focused on a range of topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (in this case they’re often called employee/business resource groups), social impact, career development, and wellness. Employee affinity groups can serve a multitude of purposes, and especially now during a time of such rapid and stressful change, they can help ensure that your efforts to support employees remain agile and responsive.Įmployee affinity groups are collectives of colleagues organized around commonalities including interests, backgrounds, field, and demographics. Are you ready to change that? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Employee affinity groups may just be the most underrated element in your company’s employee engagement toolbox.
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