Building Connection & Belonging With Coach Finbarr Buckley

The concepts of connection and belonging have never been more important—or more challenging to foster. 

As workplaces shift between in-person, remote, and hybrid models, how can companies ensure employees feel valued, included, and part of something meaningful?

In this article, TaskHuman Coach Finbarr Buckley discusses the importance of connection and belonging in the workplace, the challenges of building meaningful relationships with colleagues, and practical strategies for creating more inclusive work environments where everyone can thrive.

What Is Connection & Belonging In Today’s Workplace?

According to Finbarr, connection and belonging in the workplace encompass feeling accepted and part of something larger than yourself. It’s about establishing authentic relationships that foster collaboration, trust, and mutual support.

“It’s probably changed a lot in recent times because, up until quite recently, most people were physically in a workplace together,” Finbarr explains, highlighting how our understanding of workplace connection has evolved.

With remote and hybrid work becoming the norm for many organizations, the casual interactions that once built relationships—conversations at the water cooler, lunch breaks with colleagues, and after-work social activities—have diminished or disappeared entirely.

Yet the need for human connection remains unchanged. As Coach Finbarr emphasizes, “We’re not robots. We’re human beings who work best when they feel appreciated and acknowledged.” 

When employees feel they belong, they’re more likely to collaborate effectively, share ideas openly, and contribute to the team’s success.

The benefits extend beyond personal satisfaction. When team members connect authentically:

• Teams work better together, increasing productivity
• Employees feel more comfortable sharing innovative ideas
• Collaboration becomes more natural and effective
• People are more willing to seek help when needed
• The organization as a whole becomes more resilient and adaptable

What Are The Common Challenges To Creating Connection?

While the value of workplace connection is clear, creating environments where it flourishes isn’t always straightforward. Coach Finbarr identifies several key challenges that organizations face:

The remote/hybrid work environment

“There’s a bigger sense of isolation among people because they’re sitting in their home office or bedroom on their own for the day,” Finbarr notes. “There aren’t the same opportunities to get to know each other on a personal level.”

When interactions are limited to scheduled video meetings focused strictly on work topics, building relationships becomes more difficult. 

The spontaneous conversations and non-verbal cues that help us understand and connect with colleagues are often missing in virtual settings.

Competitive workplace cultures

Another significant barrier can be a workplace cultures that prioritize internal competition over collaboration.

“Another challenge can be if the workplace culture has encouraged too much competition, internal competition between people,” Finbarr observes. He points specifically to environments where “targets are set against each other, against other workmates rather than against a set base.”

This type of culture, while sometimes intended to drive performance, can actually undermine the trust and collaboration needed for teams to function optimally. When employees see colleagues as competitors rather than collaborators, connection and belonging suffer.

“Where teamwork isn’t encouraged or fostered by the company culture, then that can cause problems,” Finbarr explains. The alternative—a culture of trust and collaboration—creates an environment where “the collective mind of people can often outweigh the sum of the individuals.”

Top Tips For Building Meaningful Workplace Relationships

To overcome these challenges and build stronger connections at work, Coach Finbarr offers several practical strategies:

1. Be authentic

“It’s important to be yourself in the workplace,” Finbarr advises, “because otherwise you’ll never make a genuine connection.”

Many people feel they need to adopt a different persona at work—appearing tougher or more detached than they truly are. But these challenges can prevent meaningful connections from forming.

“Allow yourself to be seen as you are,” Finbarr suggests. “If you’re going to make a connection, it has to be you as you are that makes the connection, not some work persona.”

2. Share appropriately to build trust

Relationship-building requires some level of personal disclosure. “That involves often sharing small, appropriate personal details about yourself. Don’t just talk about work alone because if you do that, you won’t build a connection,” Finbarr explains.

This doesn’t mean oversharing or ignoring boundaries, especially when relationships are new. Start small, sharing things you’re comfortable with others knowing. These small disclosures help colleagues see you as a whole person, not just a job title or function.

“That allows a better relationship to develop over time,” Finbarr notes. When people feel they know you, trust grows, making collaboration and idea-sharing more natural.

3. Practice active listening and empathy

Perhaps the most important skill for building connection is genuine listening. “It’s very important to really, really listen to your colleagues,” Finbarr emphasizes. “Practice active listening and empathy with people.”

Too often, we wait for our turn to speak rather than truly hearing what others are saying. True listening involves:

• Paying attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues
• Seeking to understand others’ perspectives, even when we disagree
• Showing empathy for colleagues’ challenges and concerns
• Responding in ways that demonstrate you’ve heard and valued their input

“It’s important that we’re going to build a connection with our workmates to not just tell them what we are thinking and what our views are all the time, but to really listen to what the other person is saying to us,” Finbarr advises.

4. Take initiative in building relationships

Connection doesn’t happen passively—it requires deliberate effort. “Building relationships in any place, workplace, or anywhere else requires us putting time and effort into it,” Finbarr notes.

Don’t wait for others to reach out first. “If everybody’s waiting for everybody else to try to build a connection, then nobody will do it.”

Simple actions like asking colleagues about their interests, experiences, or perspectives can break down barriers and help people feel included. Making the first move demonstrates that you value connection and creates space for others to reciprocate.

5. Lead by example

Perhaps most importantly, remember that connection and belonging start with you. “We can’t change how other people are. We can only change how we are ourselves in the workplace,” Finbarr points out.

By demonstrating reliability, trustworthiness, and a genuine interest in others, you contribute to a culture where connection can flourish. “If we want to feel included and feel like we belong in the workplace, we have to make others feel like they belong and to make sure that we include others.”

This approach can create a positive ripple effect. As Finbarr explains, “By us making others feel like they belong can have a snowball effect and start fostering that culture in the whole organization.”

Encourage Deeper Learning For Leaders

For those in leadership positions, fostering connection and belonging requires additional strategies:

Create a culture of recognition

“For leaders, one of the things that could be done is to foster a culture of recognition in the workplace,” Finbarr suggests. This includes both formal recognition (awards, promotions) and informal acknowledgment (thank you notes, verbal praise).

When achievements are celebrated and contributions are valued, people feel appreciated and included. Leaders should ensure that recognition is distributed fairly, not just to the same people repeatedly.

Encourage peer-to-peer recognition

Recognition isn’t just a leader’s responsibility. “Engage in peer-to-peer recognition, not just the organization awarding somebody,” Finbarr advises. When colleagues acknowledge each other’s contributions, it strengthens connections and builds a more supportive environment.

“If any of us sees a colleague doing something well, say that to them. Say, ‘Well done, I noticed you did this; that had a great impact. That made my life easier. It helped me understand something.”

Provide regular, balanced feedback

“Giving regular feedback to people working under us is an important thing,” Finbarr notes, “and not just when things go wrong.”

Feedback should be both positive and constructive, helping team members understand both their strengths and their areas for growth. Without clear feedback, people can feel isolated and disconnected from the team’s goals.

Communicate vision and purpose

“Communication is probably the most important skill a leader can have,” Coach Finbarr emphasizes. Leaders must not only have a clear vision but also communicate it in ways that help team members understand how their contributions matter.

“A leader has to have a vision for their team, but that’s useless unless they communicate that vision to each team member and make each team member feel like they are an integral part of making this vision come about.”

When employees understand how their work contributes to larger goals, they can feel more connected to the organization and more invested in its success.

Building A More Connected Workplace

Connection and belonging aren’t just nice-to-have elements of workplace culture — they’re essential to organizational success and employee well-being. 

By being authentic, listening actively, taking initiative in building relationships, and creating cultures that value collaboration over competition, workplaces can support their team in feeling included, valued, and connected.

At TaskHuman, we believe in empowering organizations to build cultures where connection and belonging flourish. 

Through 1:1 coaching, employees can develop the skills needed to build stronger workplace relationships, communicate effectively, and contribute to more inclusive environments.

Whether you’re navigating the challenges of remote work, seeking to build stronger team connections, or working to create a more inclusive workplace culture, TaskHuman’s specialized coaches like Coach Finbarr can provide personalized guidance and support.