The following is a guest blog from our partners at the International Rescue Committee.
Return-to-office isn’t just a logistics challenge — it’s a chance to rebuild connections, community, and a shared sense of purpose. At the International Rescue Committee (IRC), we’ve spent years thinking about how people find belonging and meaning at work, both internally and through our partnerships with corporate allies. Here’s what we’ve learned.
Connection Doesn’t Happen by Accident
Employees don’t reconnect simply because they’re back in the same building. Organizations navigating this well tend to:
- Create intentional moments for cross-team interaction, not just hallway run-ins
- Give employees a reason to be in the office beyond policy — shared projects, learning sessions, communal events
- Ask employees directly what connection looks like to them, rather than defaulting to generic programming
Employee Resource Groups as an Anchor for Belonging
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are one of the most effective tools for building belonging during periods of change, offering community built around shared identity, interest, or cause. What makes them effective:
- Executive sponsorship — ERGs thrive when leadership treats them as strategic, not optional
- Tied to broader impact goals — the strongest ERGs connect to company-wide initiatives like volunteering and giving
- Consistent rituals — regular events that survive busy schedules and leadership changes, and give employees something to count on
Workplace Giving and Volunteering as Culture-Builders
Giving campaigns, skills-based volunteering, and matching gifts give employees a shared story to participate in — especially valuable when routines are in flux. Organizations doing this well often see stronger cross-team collaboration, better retention, and an easy, low-lift way to bring hybrid teams together.
The International Rescue Committee’s partnership with Novartis is a strong example of this in action. What began as a strong start to the partnership in 2021 has continued to grow. From May to October 2021, 20 Novartis employees across nine countries mentored IRC entrepreneur clients one-on-one, helping them build digital retail and business skills. The program ran through Novartis’ needs-led volunteering model, which puts no cap on paid volunteer hours. Employees used real skills on real problems and built connections along the way. The results back it up — participating IRC clients saw monthly revenues grow 25-50% on average, plus real gains in confidence across the board.
The partnership has only grown. During year-end 2025, Novartis ran a 3:1 Global Health Campaign that raised over $100,000 for the IRC, a giving initiative that gave employees another shared way to rally around a common cause, well beyond any office attendance policy.
Matching gifts are worth calling out on their own. A 3:1 match isn’t just generous — it’s a signal. Leadership is telling employees: this matters, and we’ll back it with real money. That kind of support does two things at once. It multiplies what employees give, and it reinforces the same executive sponsorship that makes ERGs and other culture programs feel real instead of performative. When people see leadership put resources behind a cause, giving stops feeling like an extra and starts feeling like part of who the company is.
Lessons for Building Meaningful Employee Experiences
- Start with listening. Surveys and ERG feedback loops matter more than a polished program on paper.
- Tie purpose to action, not just messaging.
- Make participation easy — payroll giving, one-click sign-ups, flexible time for service, matching gift campaigns.
- Be patient. Culture rebuilding takes longer than a quarter; consistency beats a big launch.
Looking Ahead
The organizations getting return-to-office right are treating it as a culture opportunity, not just a policy decision. Purpose-driven programs, from ERGs to workplace giving, aren’t an add-on to engagement strategy. They are the strategy. We’re glad to be in partnership with organizations like Global Impact and their corporate ecosystem who are thinking hard about these questions.