From learning and development to company culture, it’s easy to acknowledge the value of a connected workforce for high-performing teams.

But employee connections aren’t just valuable in theory; they can have a measurable impact on core business objectives, like productivity, retention, and performance. And fostering genuine connections that drive tangible business outcomes requires more than just good intentions. It demands a strategic, data-driven approach.

While the benefits of a connected workforce are widely recognized, many organizations struggle to translate these benefits into an effective strategy with tangible results. 

But—with the support of the right tools—workplace connections can be just as strategic and data-driven as other business initiatives. Your organization can drive how employees connect, collaborate, and learn from one another. 

Keep reading to understand how you can ensure that connection initiatives deliver tangible ROI.

The importance of a strategic approach to building a connected workplace

Employees will build relationships in the workplace no matter what. And that’s a great thing—all relationships in the workplace have value. But the reality is that not all workplace connections propel business goals forward. 

Just like any business goal, achieving impactful workplace connections requires a clear strategy and measurable objectives. Unfortunately, many leaders have limited insight into how their employees connect and the nature of their interactions. This makes it challenging to gauge the true impact of knowledge-sharing initiatives, often leaving social learning measurement to rely solely on anecdotal evidence.

In an increasingly data-driven business landscape, it’s easy to see why this causes employee connectivity to fall down the priority list for businesses—with only 45% of employees saying that their employers are investing in employee connections.

“So much of relationship building and social learning is out of sight, out of mind. We actually don't know how it's going, but we hope that it's happening. Think about all your new hire programs or your people manager programs. Are they getting connected to the right people? Are they getting the right networks? It's really dependent on the manager, which is a very inefficient and high risk way to do it.”  -Dave Wilkin, Co-founder, 10KC

When there’s a strategy in place for monitoring progress and leveraging insights from the outset, it becomes easier to demonstrate ROI and optimize connections to align with long-term business goals. 

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The role of measurement and optimization in workplace connection strategies

There’s this perception that workplace connections need to be completely organic to be powerful and impactful. While in a perfect world, every employee would serendipitously encounter the colleagues, conversations, and connections they need to thrive, the reality is actually quite different. When employees are left to navigate this independently, it often leads to knowledge silos, isolation, and missed opportunities for collaboration.

Of course, you can't force meaningful relationships, but you can strategically nurture them.

Let’s look at a few ways that measurement and optimization can help you build a more strategically connected workforce.

Targeting and connecting key talent groups 

Truly connected workplaces ensure that every employee has access to the networks and resources they need to be productive in their role.

Rather than relying on chance encounters, you can use specific matching criteria to  connect the right people at the right time, facilitating knowledge transfer and skill development.

For example, imagine a company that has recently undergone a major merger. There's a pressing need to bridge the gap between the two teams, facilitate and foster a sense of unity. A workplace connection program can target senior leaders and peers from both sides, using data like skill sets and roles to create pairings that maximize knowledge sharing and relationship building.

This optimized approach offers several benefits:

• Targeted connections: Ensure employees connect with colleagues who can best support their growth and development.

• Reduced bias: Eliminate the potential for bias that can arise when employees are left to build their own networks.

• Enhanced morale: Foster a sense of belonging and connection, leading to increased engagement and retention.

• Improved performance: Drive business goals by empowering employees with the networks they need to succeed.

Breaking down connection silos to boost performance 

With large, distributed teams, silos in the workplace are all too common. As much as 79% of knowledge workers report that their organization’s teams are siloed, which can create cracks in critical paths of knowledge. 

Rather than leaving it all to chance, it’s important to identify silos that need to be broken down. 

For example, in our post-merger scenario, strategic pairings can facilitate crucial knowledge transfer between the two teams. Targeted learning experiences (mentorship programs, joint workshops, or guided networking initiatives) can further foster relationships, build trust, and align everyone on a unified vision.

By tracking increases in cross-functional collaboration, knowledge sharing, and even project success rates, you can demonstrate the tangible ROI of your connection initiatives. Being able to track any gaps in real time will improve cross-functional collaboration and minimize the loss or gatekeeping of institutional knowledge.

Identifying skills gaps 

Talent and skill gaps can reduce employee productivity and impact succession planning. The challenge with skill development is that every employee has a unique set of skills to work on. 

To optimize skill development, align employee learning goals with business needs and knowledge gaps. Then, connect employees with internal experts who can provide practical experience and mentorship. Combine this with traditional training to create a well-rounded approach to skill development.

For example, you can: 

• Empower employees and managers to identify existing expertise and areas for growth through self-assessments. 
• Leverage this personalized data to create purposeful matches between employees and colleagues or mentors who possess the desired skills and expertise. 
• Provide access to personalized learning pathways and resources based on individual skill gaps. This might include a mix of workshops, mentorship programs, or even cross-functional projects.

Tracking progress and demonstrating ROI 

Relationships and social learning aren’t one-and-done. Building a connected workplace will always be an ongoing process. It's crucial to track the impact of your initiatives over time and demonstrate their ROI to stakeholders.

By gathering qualitative feedback (through surveys) and quantitative data, you can measure the impact of workplace connection initiatives on employee engagement, retention, performance, or even project completion rates. Valuable insights will inform future strategies and ensure that your efforts are aligned with business goals.

“Being able to make this investment requires a clear ability to talk about the ROI. [...] And so tech enablement through platforms like 10KC make measurement and monitoring pretty seamless in how we do the work.” - Jarvis Sam, Former Chief DEI Officer, Nike

READ MORE: How to Measure the Success of Corporate Mentorship Programs

6 steps to build a workplace connection strategy that drives results

To drive meaningful business outcomes through workplace connections, organizations need a proactive, data-driven strategy. This involves several key steps:

1. Define workplace connection goals

Clearly outline the desired outcomes of your connection initiatives. What specific challenges are you trying to address? How will connections contribute to your overall business objectives?

Examples:

• Increase retention by 10% in H2
• Foster cross-team knowledge sharing to enhance customer service and improve CSAT scores
• Improve employee ENPS scores and culture sentiment after a merger
• Boost internal promotions within a specific talent group by 15% in the next three years

2. Identify your target audience

Determine the scope of your connection initiatives. Are you focusing on a particular talent group, or aiming for a broader program spanning multiple business units? Consider the unique learning pathways and objectives of each group.

Examples: 

• Leadership Development: Connect leaders with peers to drive professional development.
• People Manager Effectiveness: Mentor people managers to lead high-performing teams.‍
• Onboarding: Connect new hires with the right network to increase time to productivity.‍
• Early Talent: Ensure recent grads, co-ops, and interns have the networks they need to succeed. ‍
• Culture Integration: Integrate and align teams after change.‍
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Increase cross-team visibility, engagement, and retention of diverse talent.

3. Establish key stakeholders

Identify individuals across different levels and departments who need to be involved in the program's success. This might include:

• Executive sponsor: A senior leader who champions the initiative and secures necessary resources.

• Program manager: An individual or team responsible for the day-to-day management and execution of the program.

• Departmental representatives: Representatives from different departments who provide input and ensure alignment with departmental goals.

• Employee participants: Actively involve employees in shaping the program and providing feedback.

4. Build connection initiatives

Choose learning experiences that align with your goals, and customize the content to drive those goals. Consider a multi-faceted approach that combines different types of connection initiatives to drive the best results. 

Examples:

• Mentoring: Connect employees with internal experts, leaders, and peers  to accelerate their growth. Structured programs with 1:1 or group mentoring sessions foster focused skill development and knowledge transfer.

• Networking: Unlock collaboration by connecting employees with colleagues across the organization. These 1:1 interactions foster diverse perspectives, spark new ideas, and create opportunities for knowledge sharing and upskilling.

• Group learning: Enable access to senior leaders and experts through engaging group learning sessions and workshops. 

💡 Remember: The effectiveness of mentoring, networking, and group learning is amplified when these experiences are integrated. Isolated initiatives can have limited impact due to reduced visibility, limited knowledge sharing, and misalignment with business goals.

5. Measure and optimize

Gather and visualize both qualitative and quantitative data throughout the program, analyzing it against your broader business goals. Seek employee feedback to assess program effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.

Leading Indicators (short-term measures):  

These metrics provide early signals of program effectiveness and areas for improvement:

Adoption and participation:

• Track attendance and active engagement in connection activities (e.g., mentorship sessions, networking events, workshops). 
• Measure the frequency, quality, and satisfaction of interactions between employees.

Network growth and reach:

• Analyze the expansion of employee networks and identify any persistent silos.
• Assess the diversity and inclusivity of connections.

Employee Perceptions:

• Measure the percentage of participants who report developing new skills, capabilities, or knowledge.
• Gauge the percentage of participants who feel valued and connected to the organization.
• Assess the percentage of participants who express a desire for long-term growth within the company.

Lagging indicators (long-term outcomes):

These metrics demonstrate the long-term impact of connection initiatives on business outcomes:

Knowledge sharing and collaboration:

• Evaluate the flow of information and knowledge across teams.
• Track increases in cross-functional collaboration and project success rates.

Employee-Focused Outcomes:

• Engagement: Measure percentage increase in employee engagement scores across different levels (teams, managers, leaders, individual contributors).
• Retention: Analyze the impact of connection initiatives on employee retention rates among program participants.
• Promotion Rates: Track the career progression of employees participating in the program.

Business Performance:

• Productivity and performance: Measure improvements in individual and team performance, such as project completion rates, increased revenue, or efficiency gains.
• Customer impact: Assess how a more connected workforce translates to improved customer satisfaction, increased customer lifetime value, or other customer-focused metrics.

6. Leverage technology

Manual efforts can hinder efficiency, growth, and overall impact. How might specific technology features and tools help ensure success? Ask yourself questions like:

• What are the manual processes that create the most bottlenecks? (e.g., matching participants, curriculum building, tracking progress)
• Are there ways you think the right tools and partners could help you scale and maximize efforts?
• Can technology help you measure ROI and connection data more efficiently?
• How could the right tools help you personalize and improve the employee experience?

With the right tools, your organization can efficiently facilitate and scale meaningful workplace connections that drive tangible business results in the long-term.

Make the most of every workplace connection with 10KC

Employee connections are more than just social interactions; they're a powerful driver of organizational performance and revenue growth. But without the right tools, it can feel near-impossible to scale connection initiatives effectively, optimize programs for maximum impact, or demonstrate tangible ROI.

10KC empowers organizations to:

• Build a strategic foundation: Develop a goal-oriented program, with customized curriculums and discussion guides, that aligns connection initiatives with business goals.

• Facilitate meaningful connections: Connect the right people at the right time using smart-matching algorithms.

• Foster knowledge transfer: Create personalized learning pathways and encourage knowledge sharing across teams.

• Measure and optimize: Track key metrics, gather employee feedback, and continuously improve program effectiveness.