{"id":934,"date":"2023-12-04T08:31:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T08:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mo.work\/uncategorized\/how-can-managers-improve-team-connection-with-feedback\/"},"modified":"2025-03-04T14:22:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T14:22:43","slug":"importance-of-employee-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mo.work\/insights\/importance-of-employee-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can Managers Improve Team Connection with Feedback?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Business performance often ignores team connection and feedback, despite their importance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All effective managers know how important it is to ensure that employees feel valued and supported. However, there\u2019s often a blind spot when it comes to team connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social cohesion is incredibly powerful. A connected team can supercharge a business, including the bottom line. According to Forbes<\/a>, highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Team Connection Also Needs Boundaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While boundaries in the workplace are important markers of professionalism, there is great value in making friends at work. A sense of team connection at work can offer massive boons for organisations, as well as benefits for individual well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building connections in the work environment might not be your current priority. We\u2019d like to illustrate why it does matter. A positive company culture doesn\u2019t merely improve the well-being of your employees. It changes how people feel towards your company\u2019s reputation, making your business more attractive to candidates in a competitive job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connected Teams Support Business Objectives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Connected teams are well-placed to help your business achieve its goals. The CIPD reports that social cohesion<\/a> can have a positive impact on team performance. Improving social cohesion is especially pertinent in large teams, virtual teams, project teams, and highly independent teams. When time together is reduced, it requires a real strategy to integrate participants. In a world of remote work, the importance of our social interactions has become unavoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re trying to build a high-performance team and you feel like you\u2019re not hitting the expected height for your talent pool, the problem may well be a lack of cohesion and connection. Our platform improves team sociability through automated prompts that lessen the burden for managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retention Rates Improve When Team Connection Does<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have seen a link between recognition and employee retention. When a team connects through positive feedback, both peers and managers benefit from a better communication system. This reduces the burden on admins and offers space for valuable peer-to-peer feedback and recognition<\/a> while boosting feelings of confidence and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guusto\u2019s Community at Work<\/a> report found that 37% of workers claim their top reason for staying at their company is working with a great team with strong connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee Engagement is Not a Driver, it\u2019s an Outcome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Improving employee engagement<\/a> is a gold standard strategy for most managers but do remember that it\u2019s an outcome and not a driver. Meaning, it\u2019s drivers like helping your teams connect that can make a real difference to your employee connection goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you foster connected teams, you enhance the likelihood that your employees will engage with their work. The feelings of community, support, and friendship are fantastic drivers for engagement. TeamStage even reports that more than 60% of employees with a best friend in the workplace are twice as likely<\/a> to achieve full engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mo<\/a> helps teams grow and maintain their sense of belonging. Here are the key action points we have identified as a starting point to foster meaningful connections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Offer plenty of time to socialise, both in and outside working hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Pay attention to connecting your hybrid and remote workers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Reward and recognise efforts to work collaboratively and with team spirit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Remember to embody a people-first and human-centric culture and leadership style.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Make connecting easy with dedicated communication platforms, such as our Mo app.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    What Are the Benefits of Prioritising Employee Feedback?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Detailed and well-thought-out feedback can help employees and businesses become better versions of themselves. A study in the Harvard Business Review<\/a> saw 72% of employees agreeing that they thought their performance would improve if their managers provided corrective feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    They also found that 92% of the respondents agreed that negative feedback is effective at improving performance as long as it is delivered appropriately. How you give feedback is just as important as giving it in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Easy Ways to Boost Team Connection in 2025:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1. Identify the issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Connection matters. And the modern workplace is very effective at creating distance between employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first stage of improving employee connection is fact-finding. Take the time to chat to each of your team members and get a feeling for the issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Are your teams under too much pressure to find time to connect? Are there lots of new hires and unfamiliar faces? Are you failing to prioritise team building? Or are you struggling to help a hybrid or remote team come together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Using employee engagement surveys is the first step in understanding the pain points in your workforce. But they\u2019re useless if managers aren\u2019t empowered to take the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Employ engagement software<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Once you have a firm grasp of your weaknesses, it\u2019s time to solve them. Employee engagement software can be a useful tool in supporting your efforts. Boosting productivity can take the pressure off busy teams, while communication elements make it easier for teams to stay in touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mo is a specialist in rewards and recognition. We make it easy for managers to connect with their teams \u2013 and for team members to connect. Sharing feedback, recognition, celebrations, and important moments easily and quickly enables us to make valuable connections throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bersin reports that 2% of payroll goes into recognition in the US, mainly recognition tenure, with 87% of companies having tenure-based reward programs, despite research showing that this drives very little value. Meanwhile, companies with a \u2018recognition-rich culture\u2019 vastly outperform others. The top 20% of companies getting it right achieve 31% less voluntary turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Build a system that is braver than you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    You might be convinced of the benefits based on data, but it can be hard for individual leaders or managers to implement changes in team structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mo empowers managers to build better systems, thanks to automation and analysis. Mo provides the cues that trigger the routines that form the habits that underpin your success. We\u2019re here to help you design, instigate, and reap the incredible cultural riches of the world\u2019s highest-performing teams\u2026 one moment at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Team Connection: Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n