The #1 Way to Get Your Employees Involved With Networking
Published on: Jun 18, 2019
As a business leader, you’re well aware of the many advantages of networking. And a great way to help your employees grow and succeed is to provide them with ongoing networking tips, resources and opportunities.
Where should you begin - and how can you get your employees more involved with networking? Like so many of the best things in life, it starts at home – or in this case, at the workplace which feels like their professional home.
The Value of Internal Networking
In addition to building their connections outside of work, internal networking is extremely important and beneficial. As described by LinkedIn, “internal networking means creating value, caring, and giving authentic attention to others.” It helps foster a closely-knit company culture, even among individuals who don’t work together every day.
Use these ideas to promote internal networking at your organization:
- Understand the networking barriers that different people face and work to remove them. Enable your employees to network as part of their regular workday. This helps promote a culture where everyone feels comfortable interacting, while remaining productive and on task. It may mean allowing more flexible lunch breaks or setting up a more open office floor plan so conversation flows naturally.
- Go beyond traditional networking events. For some employees, after-work happy hours or dinners simply don’t work. Studies continue to show that women, in particular, find networking more of a challenge – in significant part because of child care and other family commitments. This is further proof of the need for more frequent workday interactions.
- Encourage networking through technology. While face-to-face communication is the networking ideal, promote the use of technology as another way to build internal networking. Rather than think of phone calls, social media connections and video chats solely as distractions, take the high road. Realize they can be a powerful means for people to learn more and get to know each other.
- Teach managers to regularly seek input from all team members. Have them ask for feedback from every person during team meetings. If anyone feels uncomfortable with this approach, managers should speak with them privately to let them know their thoughts and opinions are valued.
Remember, as people get to know their colleagues on deeper personal and professional levels, they feel more ownership in your company. This supportive environment helps them become more engaged, inspires creativity, and enables them to produce their best work.
Partner With Us Today!
As you build your industry-leading workforce and develop employees into leaders on your team, consider partnering with Frontline Source Group Lewisville, TX. Among our specialty industries are IT, accounting, finance, CSR, call centers, engineering, and oil and gas. To find the branch closest to you, click here.
Category(ies): Blog