Work puts too much emphasis on process, transactions, technology, outcomes, outputs, and the bottom line. Even though we work with people we really like and respect, we often treat our colleagues differently on the job than we do our friends. Somewhere along the way we lost a little bit – and in some cases a lot – of our humanity and sense of community that is an inspiring force for many people at work. Whether you’re a manager who doesn’t want to say the wrong thing or who outsources difficult conversations to HR, we can all be a little bit more human at work. Here are five ways to be a human being at work.
Be yourself
My former co-worker and current friend, Genia, brings her authentic self to work every day, which the Buffer family calls “bringing your whole self to work.” She’s intuitive, a charismatic leader, and she’s a member of the biggest generational community in the workforce: Millennials. I’d describe Genia as ahead of the curve in terms of how folks arriving in organizations expect to work. While she’s comfortable being herself at work, most people aren’t and companies can do more to understand who our colleagues really are, what conditions we need to thrive and how to bring them to life. Here’s Genia’s take:
Project planning = trip planning
Last week I met with a senior executive from a Vancouver retail co-operative. The picture that she painted of the potential people experience at work was awesome. One of the ideas she shared was a comparison between how corporate/co-operative teams plan projects and how a group of 10 friends plan a trip to Las Vegas (or anywhere, really). Success is achieved in both cases, she told me, but the process and language is totally different. Imagine this experience! Would you talk about KPIs or deliverables or outputs with friends? Probably not, but the thing is that working together as regular people speaking and behaving normally with each other you would probably achieve quantifiable results in service of your collective success. And once you’ve planned one trip or party the experience becomes easy to replicate and adapt when the needs change.
This example resonated with me because its how our team brought one of Vancity’s learning experiences to different communities (Surrey and Victoria) from Vancouver. We didn’t overthink the plan (other than making sure everyone knew where they were going), but focused more on what people needed from the experience and how we could lean on each other when things didn’t go as planned. Someone even met the most nervous member of our team at an unfamiliar Skytrain station and I drove one of the Modo cars because it was the best thing for the team.
Space like campus commons
There’s a good chance that your workspace’s physical environment sucks. I’m sorry about that. If you haven’t taken a walk – a non-creepy one, please – through a university or college commons then you should because it will help you re-imagine workspace. Learning commons are designed to have different spaces for different kinds of work, such as deep focus, collaborating, learning, socializing, and, at times, rejuvenating (I once played with a bunch of puppies in a learning commons to test our a new mental health initiative). Fast Company’s Lydia Dishman suggests that, in addition to designs that highlight colour and texture while hiding wires and bringing the outdoors inside, the idea of permanent office structures will be a thing of the past, too: “Flexibility is something all three design experts are seeing as a growing trend as traditional office spaces, planned in advance with permanent layouts, are giving way to the needs of an ever-changing work landscape.” MEC uses tents as meeting rooms in their Vancouver headquarters and it’s awesome.
Stay loose and listen
I love No Dunks (formerly The Starters) and a hero of mine is their Maestro, J.E. Skeets. Not only is his work ethic, intelligence and facilitation of dialogue incredible, but he allegedly coined the phrase that describes how the guys are so locked-in the conversation and totally ready to explore hilarious tangents when they arise. Too often at work we tolerate behaviour that erodes presence and productivity, such as everyone having laptops out at meetings and writing emails when it isn’t their turn to talk, going through the small-talk-motions in the kitchen, or having your phone on the table during what’s supposed to be an intimate, distraction-free conversation. More than likely your friends and definitely your mom would not tolerate such things.
Two things that I am committed to this year are: (1) whenever meeting with a colleague one-on-one they have my full and undivided attention for 20-minutes and then we re-negotiate time based on how it’s going; and (2) I take notes in a notebook and only use my laptop at meetings if it’s needed for presentations, webinars or something similar. Both these things quell my addiction to distraction and enhance my presence for folks in the room.
People, not technology/tasks/money
One of my mentors has been giving keynote speeches and one-on-one advice that explores the idea that work – the past, present and future of it – is about people, not technology. Human beings crave connection and our progress (or struggle) is very much defined by our ability (or lack thereof) to work together. Organizations have broken apart the human potential of work into the simplest of tasks with the intention of delivering the most value, which is most often defined as financial profit. The thing is that people need more from our workplaces than just income because we’re a wholly complex species. Making your workplace a more human one will not only get the most out of the people, who are its soul, but you’ll probably reach your goals in ways you never thought possible, too.
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This article was originally published on May 30, 2018 (at it holds up pretty well).