What Are Community Celebrations?
The strength of a company's culture is heavily reliant on the strength of relationships, networks, and communities within the organization. One of the most powerful ways to build community is by celebrating the moments when it’s on full display.
Community celebrations are opportunities for organizations to show employee appreciation and recognize valuable contributions by employees above and beyond their daily responsibilities. Every organization should take advantage of these opportunities to express appreciation for their employees when they arise.
Community celebrations play an important role in building a positive culture at work which influences just about every aspect of an organization. A report co-authored by Gallup and Workhuman found that the effects of a positive workplace culture extended to the everyday employee experience.
“When organizations rally employees around their purpose and values, they find their employees become passionate brand advocates who stay longer and drive results. The way engaged employees describe their culture also illustrates how they are uplifted by their day-to-day experiences (“fun,” “caring,” “inclusive”) and the type of work they produce (“innovative,” “quality,” “professional”).”
Let’s look at the importance, far-reaching benefits, and examples of community celebrations in practice to see how they can fit into your organization.
What is a community celebration?
A community celebration recognizes and celebrates achievements, team milestones, volunteer service, and large-scale contributions to the company. These celebrations should be widely acknowledged because no matter the format, community celebrations aim to foster a sense of unity and belonging among employees.
By highlighting collective successes and individual contributions like volunteer projects, CSR initiatives, employee resource groups, and cultural events, community celebrations help to cultivate a positive work environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated. That is made all the easier with Community Celebrations® by Workhuman® which creates a social feed of these events for all to see.
Why are community celebrations important?
Community celebrations play a crucial role in celebrating the entirety of an employee and the unique skills and traits they bring to the organization. It demonstrates that you value them beyond just their work output, but how they better the environment they’re in.
Importance of human connection
Human connection is a fundamental aspect of life and, thus, a healthy work environment. Community celebrations offer opportunities for employees to interact beyond their regular work duties, fostering deeper relationships and stronger bonds. These bonds build trust, yield better collaboration, and create a sense of belonging, one of the fundamental human needsOpens in a new tab.
Workplace community
Fostering a sense of community has taken on heightened importance in recent years due to the propensity of remote and hybrid work arrangements scattering employees in various locations. Community celebrations can bridge the gap between physical distance, provide a break from the routine, and bring employees together in meaningful ways.
Employee engagement
Engaged employees are more likely to be productive, satisfied with their jobs, and inclined to stay at their current company. Community celebrations can boost employee engagement by recognizing meaningful contributions and personal milestones, thus helping create an environment where employees feel valued for who they are and what they do.
Retention and recruitment
In a competitive job market, attracting and retaining top talent is a major priority for any organization. Community celebrations signal to current and future employees that the company values the totality of an employee’s contributions and is committed to creating a positive work culture.
Promoting diversity
Community celebrations also play a significant role in promoting diversity and inclusion within the workplace. By celebrating a variety of cultural, social, and professional milestones, organizations can show their commitment to an inclusive work environment where employees of all backgrounds feel seen and appreciated.
What are the benefits of community celebrations in the workplace?
Benefits for employees
- Foster a sense of belonging and connection: Celebrations help employees feel like a welcome part of a larger communityOpens in a new tab. Fostering a sense of belonging and connection has a profound effect on the employee experience.
- Improve employee morale and job satisfaction: Recognizing achievements and milestones can make employees feel valued and appreciated and, as a result, boost morale and collaboration.
- Reduced stress and positive impact on overall employee wellbeing: Fun, celebratory events can provide a break from work and connect employees to peers in informal settings which can help give a positive boost to one’s mental health and well-being.
- Encourage open communication and collaboration within teams: Celebrations create informal settings where employees can interact more freely, promoting open communication and teamwork.
Benefits for the organization
- Improved productivity of employees: When employees feel valued and engaged, they are more likely to be productive and committed to producing high-quality work.
- Stronger teamwork: Celebrations can strengthen team bonds and encourage a collaborative work environment by allowing teammates to be open and honest. They can help break down silos and connect people across the organization.
- Builds a strong company culture: Regular celebrations can contribute to a positive and vibrant company culture that supports employee well-being and satisfaction. Employees
- Recruiting and retaining top talent becomes easier: A strong culture of recognition and celebration can make an organization more attractive to prospective employees and help retain current staff.
How do community celebrations impact the bottom line?
Higher employee engagement
The social support that comes from co-workers through community celebrations has been shown to significantly impact engagement.Opens in a new tab
Higher productivity
Celebrations make employees feel they are part of a group, working toward shared goals – and that increases motivation, positivity, and overall productivity.
Reduced conflict and improved relationships
The social exchangeOpens in a new tab that comes from community celebrations reduces conflict, improves performance, facilitates information sharing, and deepens empathy – while promoting more pleasant and efficient patterns of exchanges, boosting trust, and increasing “tolerance of imbalance in exchange relationships.”
Higher levels of learning and performance
Community celebrations foster a culture of psychological safety and inclusion, and that leads to better learning and performance outcomes.
Reduced stress
When co-workers provide social support through celebrations, it can ease the impact of a large workload and thereby buffer the impact of burnoutOpens in a new tab.
Increased resilience and trust
A consistent flow of relational exchanges raises levels of commitment, concern for the reputation of oneself and others, and levels of trust and resilience.
Improved health
Community celebrations help create belonging, which contributes to improvements in the physical body system. Likewise, those who feel they don’t belong may experience both psychological and biological illness effectsOpens in a new tab and even a weakened immune system.
Happier, more productive employees:
According to ProQuest study on "Relationship of Organizational Celebrations to Employee Relationships in Creating a Culture of CommunityOpens in a new tab", shows that “participants stated that organizational celebrations made them happier in their jobs, improved diversity and workplace knowledge, reduced isolation, and cultivated relationships, which all contributed to their desire to be more productive in their job.”
What are some examples of community celebration ideas?
There are many creative ways to celebrate community in the workplace. Here are a few ideas:
Peer-to-peer recognition programs
A peer-to-peer recognition program like Social Recognition® from Workhuman facilitates community celebrations with a social feed for the organization. Moments of pride, joy, and noteworthy contributions to the community can be shared, celebrated and acknowledged by everyone.
Volunteer or service efforts
Beach and park cleanups, food drives, and so much more provide a tangible, positive impact on a community. Any organization should strive to be a responsible member of its community, and when employees take advantage of volunteer hours and opportunities, that is a moment to be celebrated.
Employee resource groups
Employee resource groups (ERGs) bring service into the office in a variety of ways. DEI groups, parents, advocates of a social cause, and members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community are a few examples of ERGs comprised of employees trying to better the organization.
Employees who participate in ERGs experience are more engaged and connected to the organization, but they’re also more stressed. One way to combat that stress is recognizing the often voluntary and heavy work of introducing big changes in your organization.
Keeping healthy together
Applaud the ways employees keep each other healthy in body, mind, and spirit. In-office or zoomed yoga classes, meditation sessions, or running clubs create a sense of community and well-being. These activities can serve as valuable nodes for a company that connects people from around the organization.
Company milestones
Team milestones that grow the organization or tentpole events in the company’s history are great moments to acknowledge and celebrate all involved. These types of milestones often take months, if not years, to see come to fruition, and an outsized moment of recognition can help employees feel valued for their outsized efforts.
Conclusion
A workplace culture isn’t strengthened on its own. It’s a collective effort of everyone in the organization actively trying to make it the most positive and inclusive environment possible. Community celebrations offer organizations an opportunity to celebrate the countless ways your employees work together to make your workplace culture better.
About the author
Mike Lovett
Mike is a senior content marketing specialist at Workhuman where he writes about the next era of the workplace. Outside the workplace, he’s an avid gardener, a frequent biker, a steadily improving chef, and a fantasy sports fanatic.