How to Bring Humanity to the Workplace
Quiet quitting. Rage applying. The war on talent. Forty-three percent of executives say collaboration is excellent in their organization—but only eighteen percent of non-leaders agree. That twenty-five point gap isn't just a statistic; it's the distance between what leaders believe and what employees actually experience.
This panel brings together leaders from manufacturing, libraries, energy education, and electrical contracting to explore Arbinger's 2024 Workplace Trends Report and one powerful insight: when people feel acknowledged, heard, and valued, they become dedicated catalysts for change. But what does "heard" actually mean? And what blocks leaders from creating that experience?
Through candid personal stories, panelists reveal the small moments that create massive disconnection—like telling someone "I've got ten minutes" before a difficult conversation (translation: "You're more of a problem than a priority"). They explore why burnout stifles innovation, why underappreciated employees bury mistakes instead of surfacing them, and why the things we want most—connection, appreciation, being part of a team—we often work against when we're feeling disconnected.
The conversation tackles an elephant in the room: How is humanity a priority when companies are laying off thousands? The answer isn't comfortable, but it's honest: sometimes we're asking for short-term humanity solutions to long-term cultural failures. Real change requires foundational shifts, not retroactive band-aids.
Learning Objectives & Key Takeaways
1. Recognize the "Disconnect Effect" Between Leaders and Employees Participants learn to identify the perception gap between how leaders and direct reports view collaboration, communication, and culture. Forty-three percent of executives rate collaboration as excellent versus only eighteen percent of non-leaders—a gap that creates dysfunction when these groups are asked to work together.
2. Understand How Small Moments Create Large Disconnections Leaders discover that seemingly minor actions—"I've got ten minutes before my next meeting"—communicate powerful messages about value and priority. These moments either build psychological safety or destroy it, determining whether employees surface problems early or bury them until they become crises.
3. Connect Appreciation to Innovation and Safety Outcomes Participants understand the chain reaction: underappreciation leads to burnout, burnout leads to disengagement, disengagement leads to going through the motions. In knowledge work, this kills innovation and creativity. In manufacturing and safety-critical environments, it creates real physical danger.
4. Apply Vulnerability and Humanity as Leadership Tools Leaders learn that closing the gap requires courage and vulnerability—like sharing your own mistakes with your team ("And that happened" meeting segment). This creates psychological safety where employees feel empowered to surface issues, take risks, and own their contributions.