Key Messages
How To Put The Human Touch Back Into Your Business: A Guide To Building Relationships And Connections In The Modern Workplace
Mixing business and pleasure may sound like a strange concept, but it can actually be beneficial for organizations.
Bringing Your Human to Work by Eric Brown outlines why office friendships can be beneficial and how they result in better interpersonal connections which ultimately leads to success.
The book provides tips on how to balance the professional and personal sides of working relationships – from meetings to feedback to values – so that you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.
By actively engaging with each other, we can all reach our highest potential and create an environment where people feel comfortable and connected.
Furthermore, bringing your human side into the workplace doesn’t just promote healthy interactions between people – it also has wider impacts, such as giving back to your community in practical ways that really demonstrate how much we care about each other.
So if you want to foster connection between humans, consider mixing business with pleasure – it’s for the greater good of everyone!
Embrace Authenticity And Let Your Humanity Shine Through In The Workplace
The result of separating your personal and professional lives is that you’re not allowing yourself to bring your authentic self to work.
But when you embrace authenticity and bring your human side to the office, it pays off for both you and your company.
A Harvard Business School study showed that businesses who embrace their employees’ personalities have higher employee retention rates and more satisfied customers than those who don’t.
Take Hedley & Bennett as an example.
When Ellen Bennett started the apron business, she stayed true to her brand: A millennial with wisdom beyond her years determined to make a positive change in the world – one apron at a time!
Notably, Ellen was unafraid to use less-than-corporate language now and then.
Today, Hedley & Bennett is one of the leading kitchen apron companies – largely owed to its founder being real with everyone from employees, clients, investors and strangers alike!
It Is Important To Balance Human Connection And Technology For Optimal Customer Service
It’s essential to have a human touch in the modern world of technology.
This doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the advantages technology offers, but rather utilize it in a way that enhances the customer experience.
For example, take JetBlue; they use self-servicing check-in machines for those who want to go through quickly, while freeing their staff members up to interact with customers who might need more specialized attention.
At Union Square Cafe, their employees wear Apple watches which enable them store employees to work together seamlessly and provide customers with a smoother experience without them even knowing that modern technology has helped contribute towards it.
What we can learn from these two examples is that technology should be used as an asset; instead of taking away from our ability to interact with people, it should be utilized as a tool which enables us to do this better.
This is why it’s so important to maintain a human touch in the brave new world of technology!
How To Make Meetings More Productive And Meaningful
Making sure that your meetings are as productive as possible is essential for getting stuff done in a business.
The key to successful and productive meetings lies in the design and implementation of them, so it’s important to plan carefully.
One way to increase the productivity of your meetings is by ensuring that they are aligned with the values of your organization.
At Mogul, a digital platform that engages with millennial women, transparency is emphasised at all their company meetings by giving updates on financial health and key performance metrics; ensuring everyone knows how the company is faring.
Designing the physical space in which you hold a meeting can also help make them more productive.
Boardrooms usually consist of long rectangular tables, however this setup can restrict communication during group discussions.
Installing a round table instead allows everyone to feel as if they are equally involved and encourages open dialogue between attendees which helps get everyone’s ideas out there on to the table.
Lastly, it’s important to make sure that everyone gets a chance to have their say.
Research has shown that when six people meet, two tend to speak for 60% of the time – but by calling on more introverted members in the group for their opinion helps combat this issue and gives those members an equal say where previously they may have been too reluctant to jump into conversation.
By taking these steps into account when designing a meeting, you’re helping make sure that no time is wasted and attendees get exactly what they need out of it.
Investing In Employee Wellness Can Bring Unexpected Benefits
The importance of a comprehensive wellness program for employers cannot be overstated.
Research has found that when businesses invest in their employees’ well-being, there are a multitude of benefits to be reaped.
Not only does this kind of investment lead to financial savings in health-care costs, but it’s also been shown to lead to increased productivity, improved performance, and heightened morale and engagement at work.
A great example of how employers are taking workplace wellness up a notch is Vynamic.
The health care consulting firm provides its staff with ergonomic chairs, nutritious snacks, treadmill desks and other offerings – plus they give employees the freedom to choose their projects so they aren’t forced into assignments they don’t want.
This has led to their turnover rate being half that of most firms in the industry!
Supporting your staff’s wellness doesn’t just come down to providing gym memberships or medical checkups – true wellbeing includes physical, mental and social dimensions too.
Companies such as Vynamic are proving that when you prioritize your employees’ well-being you get results – and ultimately create an enjoyable working environment where talent wants to stay around for the long haul.
Giving Back Is Good For Business: How Companies Can Make A Positive Difference In The World
It is no secret that when companies give back to their community, everyone benefits.
At the most successful companies this has been implemented in various ways, with over three-quarters of small businesses offering time off for their employees to volunteer and assist with charitable causes.
Not only does this lead to happier employees but a study from Bain and Company found that those who feel inspired from contributing to volunteer projects are three times more productive than those without the same motivation.
But simply talking about giving back doesn’t always have the desired effect; research shows that around 76% of millenials will check if a company’s social positions are true or not.
For this reason it is important for companies to look at actions and initiatives that authentically align with your brand and values before rushing into something which may seem like tokenism.
Mack Weldon, a men’s underwear brand founded by Brian Berger, is an example of this strategy working in practice.
Rather than hastily establishing a philanthropic program they waited until they found the right opportunity – Community Recycle – which entails encouraging customers sending in old unwanted clothing every time they bought new items from Mack Weldon, which would then be recycled into quality garments for communities in need.
The result? 11 thousand tons of old clothing diverted from landfill sites.
Taking Breaks From Your Routine Is Crucial To Unleashing Creativity And Reshaping Your Life
When it comes to achieving success in business, sometimes it’s not about the time you put in, but the time you take off.
As counter-intuitive as this may seem, research shows that taking a break from your work routine can actually reap great rewards.
Taking some regular respite from your job can help increase your productivity and creativity, even to the point of helping you get a promotion!
This is why top leaders like Tristan Walker recommend taking breaks from work.
Instead of trying to be chained to your desk all day, he suggests taking vacation days or paternity leave when possible.
This won’t only give you a much needed breather – it will allow you to see the big picture and address any areas of improvement in both your professional life and personal life.
One example is a study on entrepreneurs and executives who took an entire week off from their electronic devices and online activity – after which many decided to make significant changes in their careers and relationships!
In other words, stepping away from work for a while may just help rejuvenate your spirit and lead toward achieving greater success down the road.
lesson learnt here? To be really productive, you need to take breaks from being productive!
The Power Of Gratitude In The Workplace: The Benefits Of Showing Appreciation To Coworkers
In order to create meaningful connections with the people you work with, sometimes all it takes is a simple “thank you.” This idea is demonstrated in the book by the author’s encounter in Starbucks.
When Ashley, their barista noticed that they didn’t have pumpkin scones like usual, she ran after them with a bag of gingerbread as a substitute.
By this simple gesture of gratitude, it made them feel seen and appreciated by the company.
At SoulCycle, they take things a step further by providing new hires with ten pins that represent each core value of the company.
If an employee sees another embodying these core values, they’re encouraged to express their gratitude by gifting one of their pins.
Similarly, travel start-up Indagare sets aside time during their daily meeting for coworkers to thank one another both professionally and personally, helping staff members get to know each other better and build stronger relationships within the organization.
The ability to connect through expressing gratitude has been proven helpful in creating happier employees; A Gallup study found that when employees had friends at work they felt more engaged and less likely to leave the company altogether.
It doesn’t take much effort or resources on your part either!
One simple “thank you” can make all the difference for strengthening personal relationships and creating an appreciative environment at work.
Wrap Up
Bring Your Human to Work is a book that encourages us to embrace our humanity within the workplace.
It argues that when we enjoy meaningful relationships with our co-workers and customers alike, not only will it benefit us mentally, but it will also increase our productivity.
The book provides actionable advice like sitting near people you want to work with and mixing up seating plans in the office to foster deeper connections between employees.
Overall, Bring Your Human To Work highlights the importance of recognizing and incorporating human connection into the workplace environment.
It paints a realistic picture of how being human and staying true to oneself is an essential aspect of being successful in any kind of job
