Other key findings from Enboarder's new report:

The office is now a means to build stronger relationships with coworkers.

Prior to the pandemic, the office was mostly a place to do work. Today, employees see the office as a community hub, a place where completing work comes second. More than half (57%) of hybrid and full-time in-office respondents cited the ability to form stronger relationships as the No. 1 most important benefit of going into the office.

Connection drives down turnover.

Employees who feel connected are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs (96%) versus employees who feel disconnected (60%). What's more, only 13% of connected employees expect to leave their current role within 12 months compared to nearly one-quarter of disconnected employees (24%).

Virtual bonding events aren't enough for remote employees.

Nearly three-quarters (63%) of full-time remote employees say they feel disconnected. Enboarder officials note that organizations can't rely on virtual bonding events to forge lasting connections, especially for remote and hybrid workers. Employees across all work situations identified team meetings and one-on-one sessions with managers as two of the top activities that help them feel connected in the workplace; virtual bonding events ranked among the lowest two activities for all groups.

Millennial and Gen Z managers struggle most in driving connection.

The absence of a good manager plays a significant role in employees' level of connection and engagement with their company. Enboarder found very disconnected employees are twice as likely to cite an unsupportive manager. From the manager's perspective, half of respondents who manage people admit they struggle to provide enough human connection. That number jumps to 60% for millennial managers and to 65% for Gen Z managers — compared to Gen X (42%) and baby boomers (32%).

Instant Insights /

Study: Most Employees Feel Connected at Work, but Managers, Don't Become Complacent

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