KEY POINTS:
I am not really the type to join work social clubs," says David. "I never did when I was in Britain - but when I came to New Zealand and got a job, I thought it would be a great way to meet people and to be accepted in my new environment."
David (not his real name) says his employer's social club helped him fit in in his new working environment and country and continues to help him to meet people in other areas of his company.
"Knowing these people makes my job more fun - and it has turned us in to a great team," he says.
Rachel Morrison, who teaches organisational behaviour at AUT and has researched the impact of informal relationships on the workplace, says "friendship opportunities" are more strongly related to job satisfaction than the actual prevalence of friends.
"This means that it is a generally friendly organisation, rather than actual friendships that have organisational outcomes," she says.
"Friendships in a workplace vary - bitching with a friend is not particularly good for an organisation. The point is there must be the opportunity to make friends and social clubs provide a context for that. The perception of being able to make friends is enough - you don't actually have to make them."
Morrison suggests social clubs should involve all sorts of activities.
"Men make friends through shared activities. Sports teams are great for them - working collaboratively is what it's about.
"Women are generally more able to create and maintain relationships without necessarily having a context or activity to share with the friend.
"The type of social club in a company gives the employees a clear message about the type of culture that exists in the company," she says.
"It sends a clear message to new employees and if things are set up well, social clubs give the opportunity to acquire functional organisational knowledge."
But what about the nuts and bolts of running a social club? Nicola Taylor, a social club committee member at FleetPartners, says her social club enjoys 70 per cent participation with half a dozen committee members.
"We meet once a year and set out a plan for the year. We have an event bi-monthly with a bigger bash at the end of the year. Sometimes we have a mid-winter dinner."
She says the social club is not subsidised by the company, and members pay $6 fortnightly.
She says the social club improves the culture of the business and promotes fun as part of the organisation's values. The average age of people in her social club is 30-35.
"It helps us communicate with people who work outside our sections - and we also get to meet each other's partners. It's also good for new staff to get to know people."
Some companies see social clubs as so important that they actively back them. HR Manager for Tonkin and Taylor, an environmental and engineering consultancy, Colm Whyte, says his company sees the social club as being important for both management and staff.
"Our clubs have been initiated to provide a vehicle to encourage a sense of community at our various offices. We feature sports and social events.
"Membership is offered to all employees and the clubs are run by employees for employees, not management. Membership numbers are strong. While there is a membership fee, for each subscription there is an equivalent contribution from the company. So it's up to the employee whether to belong or not.
"Our philosophy is that we want to see an active social club. It helps to reaffirm a sense of community, and staff members to raise their profile across the company, among other benefits. It also helps employees see work as being enjoyable."
Whyte stresses that social clubs help to reaffirm the values of a company, but do not replace them.
"They don't create a good working environment on their own - they're not a baseline - they work as part of the social environment and encourage interaction."
Aly McNicoll of the NZ Mentoring Centre agrees that social clubs can have an important place in the work environment. She says it's well known that people rate the non-financial things in a workplace and that two of the most valued aspects are: Is the place a fun place to work and is there a sense of belonging?
"When people are choosing a place to work they do consider whether they can have fun there and if people get on with each other - are there good relations? Is that company a friendly place to work where people care and there is respect?"
Organisations that choose to organise or promote social clubs are making a gesture in creating that environment, she says.
McNicoll emphasises that these days an organisation's best people could choose to work anywhere. There has to be a reason to stay - and enjoyment of the working environment is a good reason to stay.
"It's about staff retention," she says. "Social clubs increase connectedness. They create more trust and open communication in an organisation."
She says they also help employees network within the organisation.
"They help people establish where the skills and knowledge for a particular task can be found. It helps them know where to go to find the expertise and creates all sorts of networks within an organisation.
"But mostly, a social club helps to consolidate a sense of connectedness within an organisation. It makes people want to stay".
