Published: December 14, 2023
Over the last few months, Belong has worked with several companies who recognise that promoting social cohesion and positive connections with people makes good business sense.
Building these important values into workplace culture, product promotion and service delivery helps enrich relationships, raises a positive profile and builds on team members’ skills and confidence to engage members of the public around the business offer.
We’ve also worked with staff teams when controversial and divisive issues in communities – and internationally – have a ‘ripple effect’ back into the office, factory or staff room. This can threaten a work teams’ cohesion and efficiency, and so it helps maintain morale and good working relationships to hold space for reflection, listening and empathy, acknowledging and exploring the issues in a proportionate and appropriate way.
Whether helping promote social cohesion through a positive, outward-facing campaign, or handling ‘tricky conversations’ within the staff team so that they don’t get in the way and interfere with effective working relationships, workplaces have a crucial role to play in developing everybody’s confidence to handle diversity and difference in society. Businesses are fulcrums for bringing people together from different backgrounds and communities, places where we form friendships, connections and make a difference. Working for better connected workplaces makes good sense: cohesion is everyone’s business.
To find out more about Belong’s work with businesses and companies, whether in the private sector or public service agencies, contact James@belongnetwork.co.uk