New report reveals how people seek connections within their company

Change activation platform, Rungway, has launched a report looking into workplace resilience. The report reveals that anonymous posts by employees citing a personal challenge have nearly doubled over the past year, and 38% of these posts were made outside of office hours or on the weekend – a jump of a third over the past year. Rungway’s research also revealed that colleagues of colour receive 46% more responses when they post on the platform anonymously.

Rungway’s new report looks into how people seek connections within their company and the positive impact of people supporting each other through change. 

The report, which has collated data from over 50,000 employees from around the world, reveals how leaders are supporting their staff through changes in the workplace and how they’re building resilience. 

When looking into how employees choose to use anonymity on the platform, Rungway’s research shows that anonymity may also increase the volume of perspectives and engagement a company receives. 

Colleagues of colour use anonymity more than their white counterparts, and they receive 46% more responses when they post anonymously. By contrast, white individuals who post don’t experience any difference in the number of replies received to their questions, regardless of whether they are named or anonymous.

Rungway’s report, which has gathered data from the last 12 months, shows that women ask around 30% more questions about their career, around 40% more questions about culture and 50% more questions about wellbeing than men on the platform. 

Women are twice as likely as men to be seeking connection when talking about wellbeing. This is evidenced by them using phrases such as, ‘Is anyone going through this?’ or ‘Can anyone help with this?’ more often than men, who are 36% more likely to seek a specific answer. 

Research also shows that women spend twice as long writing a post on wellbeing than men (12 minutes for women compared to six minutes for men), indicating that they take more care in how their communications are perceived or that they have more complex issues where they want support. 

Data from the report which is titled, ‘The leaders’ guide to truly understanding your people (and making better business decisions)’ also shows that questions relating to personal challenges increased by over a third from 2021 to 2022 (38%). In addition, a third of all posts on the Rungway platform in the second half of 2022 were about wellbeing. 

Julie Chakraverty, Founder of Rungway, said: “In companies, change is getting harder to deliver successfully and forward thinking leaders understand that employees need to be invested in. One of the best ways to do this is to give people a way to safely collaborate, to raise issues and to co-create change. This enables leaders to correct any issues while at the same time allowing all employees to feel as if they’re truly part of the change journey and are being heard in a way that helps to build their resilience. 

“Overall, there are a few key takeaways from our ‘How to build a more connected and resilient workforce through change’ report which are essential for businesses looking to successfully grow. First, it’s important to note that building a resilient workforce means that they will be more receptive to change. Our data shows that wellbeing is a topic that people want to discuss now, even more so than during the pandemic. Employees want to feel understood as individuals. Therefore, business leaders should make creating an open, transparent culture a priority so they have the means of communicating change in a far more effective way. 

“Understanding the cultural differences within your organisation is also vital, as each employee has their own set of lived experiences which determines the way they perceive the world and your organisation. As a business leader, you need to strive for your communication and purpose to be inspiring to all, so that you’re able to bring everyone on the same journey with you.”