Could Internal Networking Be A Part of the Solution?

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The Current State of Play

When you open any newspaper or listen to broadcasts, podcasts or the news, we are hit with this torrent of reports of people leaving the workforce.  You can’t walk down the street and not notice the amount of businesses that are looking for staff these days.

Organisations and businesses are struggling to retain and recruit staff.  There is an unprecedented churn and there is much angst and anxiety in our society right now.

This is further being fuelled by negative media reports on all the crises that our society is currently facing, from housing to energy prices.

The Responses

When we move to organisations and businesses, the emphasis is on topics such as diversity, inclusion and equality.  There is talk of mental health and how important it is.  There is talk of remote working and hybrid working.  The list goes on.

The one thing that is very clear is that something is simply not working.  People are stressed and overwhelmed.  They are feeling the pressure, are time stressed and there is no balance.

What I observe is that organisations aren’t sure of where to put their energies & investment. This is leading to managers who are also ill-equipped to deal with all the changes that they are being told that need to be integrated into the workplace.  There simply isn’t enough time to learn and understand everything in this dynamic working environment and to me it feels like there is a lot of ‘tick the box’ exercising happening.

Internal Networking

While there is no magic wand or simple solution to this problem of workplace churn, helping people to understand themselves, giving them permission to be themselves and showing them how to connect with others must be a part of the solution.

So my question is: could internal networking be a part of the solution to many of the current woes in our workforce?

Where there are genuine connections and support, where there is psychological safety in an organisation, this will work towards retention and a happier workforce.  A happier workface that is focused and building towards their strategic goals will be much kinder to the overall organisation’s budget!

This is where internal networking comes in.  By coaching and training employees on how to connect, to get practical about connecting and learning about each other, by growing confidence and helping people put their hands up for new projects…there are countless wins when people learn and understand how to connect effectively.

If you’re representing an organisation, how would you feel about these wins?

If you’re employed, what would the benefits mean to you?

Organisational Benefits

• Improved retention
• Improved morale
• Identifying talent for projects and for future succession
• Unearthing innovation & collaboration
• Cross fertilisation of skills
• Enhanced and improved communications
• Less stressed and pressurized HR environments
• Budget saving on hiring and training new staff

Employee Benefits

• Friendships at work
• Supportive teams
• Feeling happier at work
• Finding mentors
• Increased confidence
• Increased career opportunities – access to new projects, promotions, better salary etc
• Better overall working conditions

Looking at Company Culture

How internal networking manifests itself very much depends on the culture of a company.

For it to work, everyone has to be engaged and ready to buy into the powerful notion that having connections is vital and crucial to any organisation’s success.

And time will be the factor that people cite as a reason not to do this. So my question is, if individuals and organisations are to get these wins, is this not time well spent?

Let’s Connect!