.

Connecting people in the workplace and helping teams work together more efficiently is at the core of our mission. When Beekeeper first set out seven years ago, we were determined to digitalize traditional top-down communication channels.

We wanted to make information easily accessible to everyone, regardless of their location. In many cases, Beekeeper also enabled employees to give direct feedback to company management for the very first time.

Over time, it became clear that top-down communication channels like bulletin boards and newsletters are only the tip of the communication pyramid. For operational communication that’s truly transformative, information must also flow from the bottom-up, across departments, between functions, and diagonally into different teams.

How are you coping during this period?

What are you discovering about yourself and each other that you could not see before?

What have you lost during this time but are not missing?

These questions and others trigger new conversations and collaborations between many members of the group.

𝗢𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗯𝘆𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝘀, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

We were conditioned by experts that we need non-authentic, anonymous, low-trust workplace surveys to tell us what we should talk about.

And whilst we were in the building, we didn’t buy it but we went along with it, right?

But no longer! Long and static employee surveys are dead, replaced by authentic conversations between people who choose the topics, not the survey authors.

In the Enterprise Social Room, we began this extraordinary conversation and re-imagining a future where conversations across physical locations and hierarchies became part of the ‘new normal’.

Bees aren’t smart, bee colonies are. No single bee knows how to build a hive, protect the queen, and produce honey. But collectively, they still make it happen, which is quite impressive.

Here is how they do it:

Companies have changed the way they do business.

A rigid hierarchy that restricted the flow of information and negatively impacted employee communications used to be the norm. Communication between employees and their supervisors was often limited, and organizational transparency was practically nonexistent.

Earning the money we need to live is presumably the main reason we work at all.

But does money motivate us to continuously perform our best work?

Let’s take a peek at what science and research have to say about that:

What can we do differently to do better in engaging our employees?

Many bosses believe that valuable knowledge is concentrated in a very few heads. They assume that the key to making good decisions is finding that one right person who will have the answer.

The “genius” of the organization NEVER resides completely in management!

The best ideas will often come from far-flung corners of the community.

We are likely to incur an “ignorance tax” when we fail to consult the crowd before making important decisions.

The higher a nation’s stress index, the greater its GDP and life expectancy, the more satisfied people are with their lives, their work, their communities, their own health, the happier they are.

Basically, the more people you have who thought yesterday was very stressful, that’s better for public health, it’s better for the economy, it’s better any way you look at it.

It kind of blew the researchers minds.

It is not what they or we would be expecting.

When they dug in a little deeper, it made more sense.

Stress was a barometer for pushing people toward the things that ultimately made them productive & happy.

✔ A tough project at work brings stress, but also a sense of accomplishment when it’s finished.

✔ Raising kids is stressful, but being a parent brings meaning.

✔ Stress focuses your attention in ways good times can’t.

✔ It kills procrastination and indecision, taking what you need to get done and shoving it so close to your face that you have no choice but pursue it, right now and to the best of your ability.

Not-so-fun fact: Employees who work remotely have higher attrition risk than those who work from the office.

In a time when most of us have struggled with feelings of isolation and disconnection, the engagement of meaningful and rewarding work is as vital as ever.

Communication professionals are faced with the daunting task of successfully aligning workforces with the strategic mission and objectives of their organization. Suffice to say while managing costs. These priorities are often competing, yet they don't have to be.