Marc’s company consistently makes it to the “Great Places to Work” lists at a local, state, and even national level. They have flexible hours, free food, onsite daycare, and excellent 401k matching. Yet, Mark can still feel disconnected. His team is small, and his job can be isolating. One way his company could help Mark? By encouraging interoffice networking among employees.

The kind of networking we’re discussing here isn’t about connecting your servers or systems. As explored already in this series, there are many types of professional networking that can benefit your employees and, as a result, your organization.

Advantages of interoffice professional networking

By encouraging your people to connect across departments or teams, even offices and regions, you can help develop a positive work environment. Promoting employee networking offers advantages such as:

• Enhance organizational learning and efficiency through sharing of experiences and best practices
• Foster collaboration across silos, which can result in cross-functional problem-solving
• Stimulate creativity by encouraging exchange of ideas
• Support diversity by exposing employees to fresh perspectives
• Increase productivity by giving your people quick access to resources that can expedite access to information and decision-making
• Provide mentorship opportunities to promote professional development
• Create a more engaged workforce that feels connected to colleagues and more satisfied with the organization
• Help new hires onboard and integrate into your company culture
• Identify internal talent to support succession planning
• Contribute to employee wellness by reducing stress thanks to a greater sense of belonging

Clearly, promoting open communication, collaboration, and a sense of community through employee networking has an upside. That leaves the question: how can your business enable interoffice networking among employees? The next section explores several ways you can develop the kind of dynamic and supportive workplace culture that supports improved employee satisfaction and organizational success.

Encouraging interoffice networking among colleagues

You’d be hard pressed in the age of data-driven business not to have heard about the dangers of silos. Yet, it’s not only a concern for information sharing. When individuals keep to themselves, or stick only with those they know already, opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and creative problem-solving can go unrealized.

Fortunately, there are many ways you can promote networking among your employees. Keep reading to learn strategies to create a supportive environment and provide opportunities for meaningful connections.

1. Host lunch and learn sessions

Informal, themed lunches let people from different departments share expertise or discuss interesting trends or best practices in a casual setting. Along with the knowledge sharing, you create an opportunity for networking when you host these more sociable, semi-structured events.

2. Assign cross-functional projects

Bring employees together and encourage collaboration between different departments by intentionally assigning cross-functional projects or creating a task force that requires input from various areas. This can help individuals foster new relationships and strengthen overall communication across your organization.

3. Make mentoring a priority

Establishing a mentorship program not only facilitates knowledge transfer and professional development, but it also helps forge connections. Mentoring can connect:

• New hires with an experienced employee
• Potential leaders with current leaders
• Talented individuals with representatives of other areas of opportunity
• People of different backgrounds and experiences for greater awareness and broadened perspectives

4. Create an internal networking platform

Make it easy for your employees to use existing communication tools to connect with other teams and departments. You might set up a dedicated channel on your internal social media platform or company intranet inviting more informal discussions among employees.

You may have to initially encourage involvement. Do so by posting informative and entertaining content and inviting questions. If you don’t already have employee resource or affinity groups based on common interests, hobbies, or career goals, you might set up themed threads around certain topics (e.g., football fans, caretakers, preschoolers’ parents).

5. Plan team-building activities

The right team-building activities can encourage fun and foster a sense of camaraderie, Select activities that promote collaboration and communication while also aligning with your company culture. For example, a day of volunteering to read to young children might make sense for a company that values literacy and has a mission related to childhood development.

6. Recognize your employees

Highlighting and celebrating your employees can bring visibility to different individuals across various departments. Look also for ways to recognize the individuals who actively participate in interoffice networking. This might encourage others to follow suit.

7. Facilitate employee interaction onsite

An open office layout can encourage impromptu discussions and networking. Otherwise, make sure there’s a break room with healthy snacks available to all teams. Or designate a conference room as a space where anyone can get a change of scenery and work in a more communal setting. This could facilitate spontaneous interactions among people who might not otherwise meet.

8. Host internal conferences

Have one day (or half-day) every six months when you showcase staff talents and achievements. No, we’re not saying you need to tell people to sing, dance, or play the recorder. But, you could invite people to highlight what’s happening in their departments and share their organizational expertise. This promotes cross-functional awareness and gives different professionals within your organization a broader perspective of what is accomplished and how. Along the way, they’ll meet some new people at work.

Supporting connectivity across your company

Connecting your people via regular informal networking events, social gatherings, or team-building activities can help build relationships and broaden employees’ knowledge base. It can also strengthen your company culture and bolster employee engagement. In the third installment in this series, look for a list of do’s and don’ts for effective networking.

Want to find out how connected your people feel to one another and to your workplace? Sogolytics has the tools you need to understand employee experience. Find out what we can do for you!