Nederlands
In every organisation, communication is very important for the culture. But as teams grow and ways of working shift, whether hybrid, remote or in office, keeping people connected becomes more complex. And while email and messaging tools help us stay informed, they’re not always the best spaces for conversations that spark ideas, build relationships or share knowledge.
That’s where communities come in.
What are communities and why do they matter?
Communities is a space where people come together around shared interests, goals or roles. Whether it’s a group for new starters, people managers or a sustainability initiative, communities give room for conversations that don’t fit into formal channels.
They give employees a chance to:
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Ask questions and share insights
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Celebrate milestones and wins
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Collaborate on projects or interests
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Strengthen relationships across departments
Instead of siloed communication or information lost in inboxes, communities keep conversations open and visible to those who need them.
The missing link in internal communication
In many organisations, people don’t always know where to ask questions or share useful updates. Company-wide announcements land in inboxes and are forgotten. Knowledge gets scattered across tools and channels.
This creates a challenge for communication and HR teams. How do you support culture and connection in a way that’s simple to manage and easy for people to use?
Communities fill that gap.
They create an informal, accessible space to share more than just policy updates. It’s not about broadcasting. It’s about helping people listen, contribute and learn from each other. That’s a real driver for engagement and retention.
What could communities look like in your organisation?
Every organisation is different. That’s why Communities is designed to be flexible. Here are some examples of how teams are using it to build connection and support their culture:
Community for new colleagues: “First weeks club”
Many organisations welcome new team members every month. Instead of sending a standard onboarding checklist by email, they’re automatically added to the “First weeks club” community. Here, they introduce themselves, colleagues share helpful tips (“Where’s the best lunch spot?”), and a fun weekly challenge is posted, like “Take a selfie with your buddy” or “Have lunch with someone from another department”.
Community for team leaders: “Lead & Learn”
Team leaders from different locations or departments often face similar challenges, like performance reviews or workload. In the “Lead & Learn” community, they exchange experiences, respond to one another, and HR or leadership teams share best practices or updates to policies.
Communities for shared interests: “Book Club”
Shared interests often spark the best initiatives, like a book club! In this community, colleagues read books together, share recommendations, write short reviews and start conversations. From work-related reads to light-hearted novels or podcasts.
Social or wellbeing groups: “Fit together”
Colleagues use this space to share fitness goals, set up walking challenges or give a heads-up about a lunch run. HR also links this to the organisation’s wellbeing programme, from online workshops on sleep and cycling schemes to short meditation videos.
Community: “In the Spotlight”
This community is all about celebrating each other. Think sales wins, anniversaries, birthdays or personal milestones. It’s a simple and fun way to show appreciation, especially in hybrid teams.
Expert group: “Smart with AI”
Across the organisation, colleagues are experimenting with AI tools like Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT. In the “Smart with AI” community, they share how they’re using AI in their work, from writing emails and summarising meeting notes to generating reports or translating texts. Comms, HR and IT also share guidance here: how to use AI mindfully, generate text in the right tone of voice, and what to do (or avoid) with sensitive data. It’s a space where everyone gets smarter, together.
One place where people stay informed, connected and involved
Communication starts in the digital workplace, because that’s where people already are. That’s why we brought everything together in one central space, the Hub.
The Hub is where your teams connect, stay informed and get involved, without jumping between tools. It brings together everything people need to communicate effectively, from announcements and events to knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Communities is one of the newest additions to the Hub. It gives your teams one place to ask questions, share knowledge, celebrate milestones and spark ideas. No switching tools. No extra logins. Just one space to connect with colleagues, right where they already access their apps, documents and updates.
Alongside Communities, the Hub includes:
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Announcements, to make sure the right people see important updates, whether it’s welcoming a new colleague or sharing a company-wide message. Messages are targeted, timely and accessible on all devices
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The Knowledge base, your go-to for trusted, up-to-date information, from HR policies to IT how-to’s
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Events, making it easy to plan and promote internal gatherings. People can register directly, and all the details sync with their calendars
Together, these features simplify every part of internal communication, from sharing essential updates to encouraging everyday conversations that strengthen your culture.
