Efficiency, the motto for the 1990s and early 2000s, allowed companies to reduce the cost of doing business and increase financial gains. Then business pivoted from a focus on efficiency to a focus on productivity. If efficiency is about “less is more,” productivity is about “doing more with the same.” Since the push for heightened productivity began, the unrelenting demands to get more out of people are taking a toll; a mental and physical toll on the humans doing the work, toss in the impact of a global pandemic and the effect is a burned out, demotivated, detached, overworked workforce. And people are reaching a breaking point as evidenced by the “Great Resignation,” where a reported 11.5 million people quit their jobs in April, May, and June of this year and record levels of attrition. It is time to look at a different way to drive productivity. It’s time for humanity.

As a leader, you can be the one to ignite more humanity at work. Take time to pause and reflect on how you may be contributing to a work environment where people are disengaged. Your people are watching you all the time, taking cues from what you do and say. What is your impact? Are you helping their work feel deeper and more connected? When you do, people will give more of themselves and business wins. Adam Grant, in his book Give and Take, highlights productivity gains found from cultivating a positive workplace culture. He showcases the connection between team and organizational outcomes and the need from leaders to demonstrate positive human characteristics, such as kindness and generosity. In today’s dramatically reconfigured world of work, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. Take the lead in helping your people thrive.

Where to start? Change starts with you because the only thing you can control is you. And when you change, the people around you begin to change. To bring more humanity into your workplace, take steps to become more aware of your own actions and the impact they create on others. With this insight, you can shift how you interact with others and create a positive humanity-centered culture, one where people feel like humans, not resources.

Here’s how—we have created five practices to bring more humanity to your workplace.

Source: Fast Company

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