How to Humanize the World of Work

Everybody longs to make meaning out of their lives, irrespective of social strata—this is because the brain is the organ of humanity. We long for human connection.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to us what science has been telling us for centuries about human motivation for coexisting in groups. The reason social isolation has been challenging to us during the pandemic is because of the unpredictability of not knowing when the world would go back to normal conditions of visiting each other, traveling freely, and working in close proximity. With this phenomenon, mental health concerns skyrocketed to record numbers in the workplace.

The workplace is where we spend most of our time outside our family homes. If there is anywhere people should learn to interact in a healthy atmosphere, the workplace is that space. It is paramount for organizational leadership to consider the importance of humanizing the work environment. It has been proven that supervisor rapport with employees improves employees’ contentment, employee retention, and other positive constructs. Here are three practical ways to promote positive connections with other people in the workplace.

• Honor each other’s experiences. People are entitled to their experiences. If we try to ignore or underestimate each other’s experiences—for example, when a team member shares a concern about work demands, but their supervisor ignores the concern and blames them for working slowly—we end up invalidating each other’s reality. In a recent study I conducted, participants perceived the nature of their job tasks as the main reason people left the company. With this feedback, the leadership of the company should consider their employees’ concerns and involve them in sharing ideas that would make their job tasks more meaningful. As we know, we cannot control what people think about us, but we can control how we respond to it.
• Respecting each other’s perspectives. Just because people fail to agree with our views doesn’t mean that they are against us. It is possible that our lived experiences shape how we interpret certain events. To humanize the discussion of different views, it is reasonable to give each other listening ears. Sometimes, taking a premature position during a discussion can create a barrier; for example, instead of offering unasked advice about how to carry out a project, invite your coworker to share their plans. By being receptive to learning from others, you model a free exchange of ideas and points of view. Who knows, you might just learn something. Then, when there is a difference of opinion, instead of being defensive, it is easier to focus on the work to be done by considering each other’s point of view and coming to a mutual ground.
• Treating each other the way we want to be treated. Usually, giving the other person the benefit of the doubt and taking a supportive position is better than offering criticism. Even when trying to be helpful, it is easy to come across in a way that seems critical to the other person. By exercising kindness, patience, and empathy it is easier to truly join with the other person as an ally, not a threat. For example, instead of the supervisor criticizing the team member for making mistakes, the supervisor could have a conversation with the worker and find out what the worker thinks is contributing to inconsistency in work quality and brainstorm about ways to make improvements.

Human connection starts from recognizing each other’s existence, as we generally seek validation from our peers. Our attempt to ignore each other’s points of view creates room for misunderstanding. So, in order to recognize our shared humanity, we should honor each other’s experiences by understanding that our experiences shape how we see the world. We should also respect each other’s perspectives because our views are as important as the opposing views, so we should respect them until we come to a mutual agreement.

Lastly, treating each other the way we want to be treated is the ultimate goal. We cannot do such as long as we are busy protecting our position and undermining the other person’s views. In order to humanize our existence, we must be willing to be open to new information.