Episode: 616

Episode Title: The Elusive Human Connection at Work

Whatever happened to having a meaningful connection with your coworkers? Here’s why it’s becoming so hard to find, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 616 show:

This is The Perna Syndicate and I’m your host, Mark Perna. Thanks for tuning in! Human connection is one of those things we never knew we were taking for granted, until it was gone. A smile, a handshake, an honest ‘hey, how are you doing?’—these seemingly small social acknowledgments had a bigger impact on workplace culture than we realized. 

A new study by Airspeed underscores just how challenging it has become for companies to foster a sense of community and connection among their post-pandemic workforce. Employees feeling disconnected is the #1 challenge cited by C-suite respondents. 95% acknowledge that their company culture and sense of connection need improvement. 

Chillingly, 75% of these executives believe their employees would give up a lot of their current perks to work for another company where they could experience that elusive sense of connection with others.

Very few would argue that employees who feel connected with one another are more motivated to perform at a higher level of productivity. In fact, Airspeed found that 96% of the executives surveyed believe this. 

So how can organizations encourage employee connection? First, we have to understand what workers are looking for. In a world that feels more fragmented than ever, they want to experience a true human connection. They want to feel seen, heard, and valued.

Tomorrow: If a human connection is so necessary at work, why is it so hard for employers to create? We’ll cover that and more tomorrow on The Perna Syndicate. See you then!