[Wisq] Social Well-Being in the New World of Work

In 2020 the world of work was turned upside down.

All of a sudden hallways across the globe became empty, and lunch hour was no longer an opportunity to connect with colleagues or catch up on weekend stories. Instead, we got zoom fatigue and stressed over the flood of unread slack messages.

Work became transactional. We began to lose the warmth of human connection, and the camaraderie, support, mentorship, community, and serendipity that have been foundational to great work cultures and successful companies.

The social fabric of organizations – all the relationships and connections that elevate work to be so much more than just a set of objectives to complete – began to fray and rip. Even worse: new hires never even got a chance to properly integrate into the organizational social fabric. Two years into the pandemic, 65% of employees feel less connected to their co-workers. The great resignation is real.

Why does this matter?

Organizations are made of people. And people are social beings first and foremost – social connection is hardwired into our DNA and is a fundamental psychological need. If we can’t relate to each other over shared interests, values, backgrounds, culture, and aspirations, then we’re just cogs in a machine. When all that we see of our teammates is their job titles and zoom faces, we don’t feel a sense of belonging. Without belonging, work is unfulfilling, and the entire organization suffers.

Harvard Business Review reports that increasing belonging at work is responsible for a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days.

Happiness at work has been near and dear to our hearts.

For over a decade we’ve thought deeply about great work cultures, having pioneered the People Success space, and built a product that is used by millions of people around the world to measure and improve various aspects of happiness at work. We know just how vital connection and belonging are. We believe lack of social connection is one of the biggest (albeit silent) challenges facing organizations around the world right now, and it’s preventing people from being fulfilled and happy at work. And there are no good solutions in sight.

So we decided to do something about it.

Enter Wisq. A space for life at work.

Wisq is a space for people to connect on a deep level with their co-workers, to share their lives, to build meaningful relationships, and to learn and grow together. It’s a space where new hires discover people and groups to easily connect with, where ERG’s build community, where remote or digital-first teammates start and strengthen relationships, where mentors help improve the lives of others, and where everyone feels a sense of connection. It’s a space where organizations help people feel a sense of belonging from day one to one thousand, help their people grow and flourish, improve engagement and retention, and build happy work cultures.

Today, we are thrilled to share the Wisq platform for social connection at work. We hope it helps you and your team be happier together.

Contact Dylan Chambers if you would like to find out more, or the Senior Leadership Below:

• Jim Barnett, CEO & Co-Founder

• Goutham Kurra, CPO & Co-Founder

• Chih-Po Wen, CTO & Co-Founder

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