From Colleagues to Community: Driving Wellbeing at Work
From Colleagues to Community: Driving Wellbeing at Work
Finn Hadfield, Social Impact Officer at Business in the Community, explores the importance of wellbeing at work and the opportunities employers have to recommit to creating a positive workplace culture.
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week brings a timely call for organisations to consider the theme “Community”. We must recognise that wellbeing at work is not strictly an individual concern, but one shaped by organisational culture, community, and connection. With an ever-increasing era of increased workplace isolation, the way in which employees perceive their purpose and inclusion within an organisation can have profound consequences for mental health.
Absence of workplace community: organisational costs
The effects of workplace disconnection are both human and financial. According to Mental Health UK, “23% of workers agreed that feeling lonely at work has affected their mental health.”[i]. Whether due to the changes in how we work, through reduced office time, or cultures that are less collaborative between different aspects of an organisation, our lack of sense of community greatly affects outcomes in the workplace and in an employee’s wellbeing. This experience of loneliness is not a fringe issue; it reflects a broader cultural challenge in the modern workplace. When individuals are unable to see the value of their contributions or feel excluded from organisational purpose, their engagement, motivation, and mental health suffer.
As the 2019 study ‘Job dissatisfaction, ‘burnout’ and alienation of labour: Undercurrents in England’s NHS’ shows that “Alienated practitioners may feel powerless, isolated and normless, and experience their work as meaningless.”[ii]. The consequences of this alienation are widespread. As shown in our What if your job was good for you? report, “The organisational risks of employee isolation cannot be understated as a known risk factor for poor health and wellbeing, in which costs organisations an estimated £150bn every year.”
Wellbeing as a Strategic Priority
Acknowledging the consequences of isolation and loneliness within the workplace, employers may wish to consider their approach to fostering a greater social wellbeing. Supporting mental health at work links directly to an improved sense of community and purpose within an organisation. It requires a comprehensive and strategic approach, with mental health being prioritised at every level. This approach centres around creating a culture of openness, providing tailored policies and resources to foster inclusive environments. Inclusive settings foster improved interpersonal interactions and connections with others, naturally generating a sense of belonging to a community and greater social wellbeing. To build on solidifying this environment, while employee networks, otherwise known as Employee Resource Groups (ERGS) are renowned for their powerful impact on fostering inclusion, organisations may wish to consider them as a strategic pillar of a holistic wellbeing approach.
The O.C. Tanner Global Culture Report defines this comprehensively: “Caring about the employee as a whole—their physical, emotional, social, and financial health. Wellbeing ensures employees can be their strongest, most capable, most authentic selves at work. A comprehensive approach to wellbeing requires leaders to create an environment of inclusivity, work-life integration, and connection”[iii]. This holistic view of wellbeing emphasises that mental health must be addressed not only through policy, but through everyday culture and leadership behaviours.
The Role of Employee Networks in Workplace Community
The importance of employee networks and staff feeling supported at work cannot be overstated. The ‘McGregor-Smith Review: Race in the workplace’ highlighted that tackling the racial disparities in the workplace and labour market is worth a potential annual boost to the UK economy of £24bn.
Employee networks support mental health and foster community in the following ways:
1. Connection
Networks provide a sense of belonging, particularly for individuals who may be underrepresented in their teams or functions.
2. Community
They facilitate peer support, informal mentoring, and social interaction, helping employees feel more understood and less isolated.
3. Visibility and Voice
Networks offer a structured channel through which employees can share experiences, raise issues, and contribute to organisational change.
4. Awareness and Understanding
Through events and campaigns, networks help foster empathy and understanding, leading to stronger team cohesion.
5. Positive Impact
Many networks collaborate with HR and senior leadership to shape more inclusive policies and promote equity across the organisation.
These outcomes are not incidental. They reflect the strategic role networks can play in supporting a holistic wellbeing approach and a sense of ownership of the work they produce.
A Call to Action
As we reflect on this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, organisations have an opportunity to recommit to a workplace culture that supports connection, community, and purpose. Initiatives that address isolation and elevate inclusive wellbeing can unlock both human potential and organisational success.
Creating an environment in which employees feel valued and connected is not simply beneficial – it is essential. The evidence is clear, and the opportunity is significant.
Find out how we can help your organisation to transform mental health and wellbeing at work.
References
[i] Mental Health UK (2022) Loneliness and mental health at work – Mental Health UK
[ii] Sage Journals (2019) Job dissatisfaction, ‘burnout’ and alienation of labour: undercurrents in England’s NHS
[iii] O.C Tanner (2023) 2023 Global Culture Report