How to Start a Book Club at Work
Workplace book clubs are engaging. I’ve had experience with them in the past, and I’ve launched one at the company I recently joined. Many executives want to start book clubs to encourage emerging and existing leaders to learn from others’ mistakes, think differently, and apply knowledge from multiple industries to their daily roles. It’s daunting. Not to mention, asking people to read a book on top of doing their job and all the other things people have going on in life is a recipe for failure.
So, how do you start a book club at work – and keep it going?
Each company size presents different challenges. Starting a book club is relatively easy at smaller companies where you’re more likely to know everyone. It might be more difficult for larger, more bureaucratic organizations, or you may have more hoops to jump through.
First, you should determine the interest level of your coworkers. I like creating a survey (Microsoft has a survey function or using Survey Monkey). Ask a few questions:
What types of books do you like to read?
Do you want to have book discussions?
If yes, how often?
If you don’t want to discuss, would you prefer regular emails with book suggestions?
If you’re at a larger company, you may want to coordinate with HR, Talent, or your in-house “fun committee” to propose the book club. You know your workplace culture best.
Ground Rules
Establishing ground rules and expectations for everyone participating in the book club is beneficial. Here are several to consider.
If you hold discussions, how often will they occur, and will the meetings be based on mutual availability or held at a consistent time and day (ex: the last Wednesday of each month at 4 pm)?
Will these discussions occur during regular business hours or outside?
Who is responsible for obtaining the books? Will the company buy them, or will individuals be responsible for getting a copy? (Side note: I encourage people to obtain the books themselves to get the format they want)
Are the books “company-approved” or individual/small group suggestions?
What types of books will you suggest?
A few things to consider:
Adult content. How comfortable will you and others be if a book suggestion contains sex, drugs, or other adult themes? Mature themes show up more in fiction than non-fiction.
Religious Objections. Will people reject Harry Potter books or The Witcher? Will people object to LGBTQIA+ books and authors? I’m not encouraging you to shy away from these books, but it’s essential to plan your approach to these books and topics.
DEI Books: Book clubs are a great place to begin difficult conversations around Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. However, DEI conversations bring up many unconscious biases within people who may react poorly in a discussion setting.
Book Suggestions vs. Dedicated Meetings
The advantage of a monthly email with no set discussion is that any reading is the sole responsibility of those who choose it. The advantage of having honest discussions is the connection and growth that can come with those interactions. If you have meetings, be prepared to help the conversation along. Many of your coworkers have good intentions to read, but life happens and gets in the way, but they still want to be part of the book club.
If you’re nervous about starting a book club at work, here are my best tips:
Offer a survey to gauge interest
Offer business books, leadership books, and other non-fiction to keep things grounded in facts and research
If you have meetings to discuss, come prepared with prompts and themes to keep dialog alive, even when people haven’t finished (or started) the selected book.
Over time, determine what interest there is in expanding the suggestions to fiction, thriller, memoir, etc. You may have book club off-shoots for romance novels, legal thrillers, or even physics and statistics.
Finally, be sure to put your ego aside. People will say the wrong things, express themselves poorly, and inadvertently reveal their biases. Show grace and empathy to your coworkers.
How to Keep the Book Club Going
Book clubs are cool to begin, but hard to maintain. I prefer sending monthly book suggestions to encourage ways to connect while respecting any individual desire to decline. Forced fun is rarely fun. One way to keep a book club going is to offer quarterly suggestions and to give them themes. You might go with “Easy Beach Reads” for the summer months or “Cozy Fireplace Reads” for Autumn and Winter. You can easily incorporate societal traditions like New Year, New You into your suggestions to keep coworkers interested.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that if your company has a busy season, plan ahead. Encourage reading as a way to decompress from the busyness or on the flip side, don’t offer book suggestions during the busier times so no one feels pressure to participate.
Book clubs can be a great part of company culture and can actively build a culture when you align the book club with the company’s mission and values. Will you start a workplace book club?