Heather Cook on Building Thriving Employee Communities: The Power of Tech & Human Connection

In the past five years, the workplace has transformed, with remote and hybrid models becoming common and creating new challenges for fostering community among employees.

Studies show that connected employees have higher job satisfaction, engagement, and productivity, while strong employee communities reduce turnover rates.

Building a thriving community is about more than virtual coffee breaks; it requires creating spaces where genuine connections flourish, aided by technology. This episode of GHC explores how tech bridges distances, enhances communication, and fosters collaboration, all while keeping human connections at the forefront.

About Heather Cook

Heather Cook is the Principal Program Manager in the Microsoft 365 Customer Advocacy Group at Microsoft, leading Global Community Evangelism, Engagement, and Events. As the Founder of Creative Maven, Heather brings over two decades of experience in producing events, campaigns, and experiences in the high-tech and entertainment industries.

Reaching out to Heather Cook:

Maven Musing Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/maven-musings-7137925560579588097/

On Twitter https://twitter.com/heddamaven

On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/

On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heddamaven/

What We Discussed in this Episode on Employee Communities:

- Key challenges in fostering employee community in hybrid or remote work settings.
- The importance of workplace community versus external connections.
- Fundamental aspects of building strong human connections beyond technology.
- Strategies for facilitating connections and collaboration, regardless of location.
- Effective use of existing technology to foster community.
- Preventing technology from becoming a barrier to human connection.

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About the Growth Hacking Culture Podcast

The Growth Hacking Culture Podcast is a series of insightful interviews with prominent experts on mindsets, skills and mental resources to grow individually, lead motivated teams and create human-centric work cultures. These episodes are about thought provoking ideas to scale up and growth hack human-centric and performing work cultures. Hosted by Ivan Palomino.

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