What do community managers do and why do you need one?

Strong communities are critical because they’re an important source of social connection. Participating in a vibrant workplace community helps create a shared sense of purpose and mutual trust. The absence of social connections can have profound effects on our overall well-being. A recent study on the impact of remote working on loneliness showed that it can lead to poor psychological, physical, and productivity outcomes.

What is a Community Manager?

To counter this sense of loneliness, organizations are looking to create a sense of belonging at work—which leads to a better workplace experience, healthier employees, and enhanced overall wellbeing. This has led to the rise of the community manager role, a person or team dedicated to creating an engaging and positive workplace experience. The community manager is an integral part to the employee experience and acts as the “face” of the organization. Among other things, they communicate to and help foster a sense of community with staff, visitors, and partners of a company. It’s also important that they invigorate the workplace, using technology, events, amenities and services to build connections and memorable experiences.

It’s critical that the community manager has a clear view of the community roadmap and understands the role the community plays in the wider organizational culture. Based on this, they can analyze the results of their community efforts and adapt their strategy to be aligned with its purpose, mission and values. They also look for ways to improve the employee experience by gathering community feedback and understanding trends and challenges in the community.

Why Do You Need One?

More than ever, employers are seeking out a new and improved employee value proposition that includes a focus on all aspects of employee health and well-being. As the boundaries between work and life continue to blur, employees are increasingly looking to their employers to foster a culture of wellbeing and build a sense of community.

What Makes a Good Community Manager?

Community Managers must be flexible problem solvers and experience creators. They wear multiple hats, and work closely across many departments including HR, facilities, marketing, real estate and workplace experience teams to support an organization’s mission and vision. They are the connector and relationship builder of the community. A community manager should also be creative and proactive—they will be managing events, amenity services, external partners, and internal communications. For this reason, they should be organized, efficient and have a genuine curiosity for people and a desire to help. A robust training program is a critical foundation for a community manager. It will provide the standards of exceptional service required to establish trust and solidify the skills that are essential to creating consistent and impactful service that is sustainable over time.

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