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Newsminders™

Connection and Community

Bookminders fosters connection and community for employee wellness

Creating Connection and Community in the workplace improves social connectivity, allowing for the development of “supportive relationships” not limited to “close family and friends”.1 These connections improve one’s engagement in the workplace and, given the significant time spent working, can have a large impact on overall health and well-being.

The Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health and Well-Being indicates that delivering Connection and Community relies on fulfilling the needs of social support and belonging.

In this context, social support refers to the “relationships and networks that can offer physical and psychological help, such as emotional support, informational support, and advice.” Belonging is “the feeling of being an accepted member of a group, or of connectedness given one’s interpersonal relationships.” 1 There are several leading strategies available to fulfill the needs of social support and belonging.

Creating an inclusive culture where positive relationships render assistance and reassurance is a key approach. In these environments, all staff receive needed resources and are given opportunities to provide feedback without risk of negative perceptions or consequences. Bookminders’ staff benefit from this type of culture on a daily basis. In fact, 99% of employees indicate they are provided with the tools needed for success3 and, in a third-party administered survey, staff feedback placed Bookminders in the top 1% in Accounting/Bookkeeping for inclusivity.2

Imbuing trust in the workplace is another way to promote support and belonging, reduce stress, and improve employee performance.1 Through clear and consistent communication, individuals feel well-informed, connected, and regarded as a whole person by their employer rather than just a set of skills and abilities. Bookminders’ leadership team can speak to the success of this approach. Our staff report they “are kept well-informed about important decisions,” resulting in “confidence in the leadership,” and conviction that the company is “going in the right direction”. 2

Lastly, fostering collaboration and teamwork creates a sense of belonging and expands the impact of the work support system. Employers are encouraged to structure teams and collaborations with intention and purpose, fully resourcing staff with the right tools and processes to support success.

The rise of hybrid and remote work has created barriers to team and interdepartmental collaboration. Bookminders has demonstrated how these barriers can be overcome, ensuring a productive, remote-first collaborative environment since 1991. Our employee feedback places Bookminders in the top 1% for interdepartmental collaboration, innovation, and efficiency across all benchmarked Accounting/Bookkeeping firms.2

Uncover why Laura, Francoise, and Pam feel supported and remain connected to our Bookminders community, no matter where life has taken them! Next week, we’ll examine the final element of the Framework, Protection from Harm.

Sources:

  1. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2023). Workplace Mental Health & Well-being: Current Priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General. Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being – Current Priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html
  2. Bookminders Culture Badges and Statistics Awarded by Energage Top Workplaces Survey. https://bookminders.com/top-workplaces-awards/ (2022)
  3. Bookminders Bi-Annual Employee Survey Results (2021)