Anyone who spends weeks working from home, starts to lose their bond with colleagues and the organisations they work for too. Because workplaces are, first and foremost, communities made up of the people who work there. 

Remote workers often feel out of touch with workplace dynamics and possibly their own role in a team. Therefore, encouraging a sense of community is vital because many segments are currently having to adapt to the changes imposed by the market quickly. 

A community is the foundation for any form of constructive collaboration and processes of change and innovation in particular. As an integral part of its culture, a sense of community is key to an organisation’s identity and an important means of setting an employer apart from others. 

But space, in all senses of the word, is required to generate a community. A community can’t be dictated, but it can be fostered:

• Rituals in meetings are important so that colleagues feel they are in a familiar environment.
• Celebrating successes or events together is another key way of strengthening a sense of community.
• Eating and drinking together is also one of the most beneficial and sociable ways of forging a bond with others.
• Impromptu encounters with others that forge and strengthen relationships.

In a knowledge-based economy, the community is crucial to achieving an organisation’s goals and engendering a sense of purpose that goes above and beyond just profit. Therefore, nurturing, maintaining and developing it is one of the most important roles the office has to play.