77% of employees say being able to socialise at work matters to them. Yet more than one in four say they feel lonely or isolated on the job. That gap is costing organisations – in engagement, in retention, and in the everyday culture that keeps people coming back.
Eurest’s second whitepaper in the Power of Socialisation series, Organic vs Organised Socialisation, explores what it actually takes to close that gap and why the answer lies in two distinct but complementary forms of workplace connection.
Organic socialisation: the power of the unplanned
Organic socialisation is the coffee queue conversation, the spontaneous catch-up between meetings, the shared lunch that turns into a proper chat. It’s unscheduled, unstructured, and according to the research, preferred by 74% of employees over formal events.
These moments aren’t incidental. Employees who regularly engage in organic socialisation are significantly more likely to feel connected to colleagues and to have at least one genuine friend at work. Those friendships become informal support networks, particularly valuable during periods of pressure or change.
The problem is that the conditions for organic connection are often absent. 22% of employees say heavy workloads leave no time to socialise. 40% only take breaks when circumstances allow. 1 in 10 say there’s no suitable place at work to socialise at all.
For facilities and workplace teams, that last figure is a direct signal: investing in welcoming, accessible café and break spaces isn’t just a hospitality decision, it’s a culture decision.
Organised socialisation: connecting people to the organisation
While organic connection builds relationships between colleagues, organised socialisation does something different, it connects employees to their employer. The impact is striking. Employees who participate in organised events are significantly more likely to understand their organisation’s strategy (74% vs 56%), feel connected to senior leadership (61% vs 28%), and see opportunities for career advancement (55% vs 23%).
But participation barriers are real. The most common obstacles aren’t lack of interest, they’re workload pressure, events scheduled outside working hours, and caring responsibilities. Designing an events programme that actually works for a diverse workforce means addressing those constraints head-on: keeping events during working hours, varying the format, and leaning into food and hospitality as the social lubricant they naturally are.
Getting the balance right
The whitepaper makes clear that neither form of socialisation is sufficient on its own. A workplace rich in organic connection but without structured moments of alignment can leave employees feeling personally comfortable but organisationally adrift. One that runs events without the informal social infrastructure to match can feel corporate and impersonal.
The goal, and the opportunity for facilities and workplace professionals, is a workplace where both can thrive.
Download the full whitepaper for practical recommendations on designing connected workplaces that work for everyone.
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