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Bringing humanity to the workplace entails creating a work environment that prioritizes employees' well-being, dignity, and fulfillment. It involves fostering a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and ethical conduct.
In this podcast, Christie Mann shares her insights on this topic and explains the various strategies organizations can take up to promote that.
Key Takeaways
- "Human being," not "human doing." The work-self / home-self split is dead. Bringing humanity to work means acknowledging people as emotional beings with full lives, relationships, spiritual practices, and identities — all of which show up in the office whether invited or not.
- Listening-to-solve vs. listening-to-the-person. Most managers listen for the problem to fix. Christie argues the foundational coaching skill is listening to the human, not the problem — and noticing where you're listening from.
- Curiosity is a muscle adults have lost. Workplaces reward having answers, so curiosity atrophies. A compassionate culture rewards not knowing — asking real questions that help people find their own solutions.
- Acknowledgement is different from feedback. Feedback is about what someone does. Acknowledgement is about who they are being — the qualities they display — and it's what makes people feel seen.
- "Happy hour" is often exclusion dressed up as inclusion. Default social rituals (drinks after work) quietly exclude people by religion, recovery, family structure. Real inclusion starts by learning what your team actually observes, believes, and values.
- Role-modelling is the policy. Leaders who answer emails at 11 p.m. or work through holidays tell their teams that the "balance" policy is decoration. Humanity in the workplace is mostly what the leader visibly does.
- This is not soft — it's a business case. Belonging, psychological safety, and emotional intelligence drive engagement, retention, and financial results. Christie frames soft skills as the mission-critical competency of this decade.
In Christie's Words
On what humanity at work actually means
Gone are the days where we have our work-professional self and our home-personal self. Bringing humanity into the workplace means we expand our focus from just being human doings to really encompassing what it means to be a human being.
We know that when people feel safe to bring their whole self — including their social identities, their race, their culture — this will drive business, drive results, and create higher engagement and productivity.
On how leaders build it
Typically we are listening to solve, and we're focused more on the problem versus the human being. Train people to listen to the person — and notice where you're listening from.
Feedback is about a person's behaviour and performance. Acknowledgement is about who the person is being — the qualities they are displaying.
On inclusion in practice
Happy hour is not the most inclusive way to bring people together. In some faiths, drinking alcohol is not permitted. If someone is in recovery, it excludes them too. Be aware of your team members' social identities, cultural beliefs, religious beliefs — and create an environment where they feel safe to show up.
On leaders as the signal
If you're responding to emails at all times of day and night, if you're taking time off but still working on your holiday, you're showing your team that they can't really take a break either.
This isn't just a call to action so people feel better. We want the business to be healthy — to hit and exceed financial targets. The generation in the workplace now is demanding more humanness.
About the Speaker
Christie is a co-founder of UpLevel Productions, a boutique leadership development agency. She's a Best-selling Author, Executive Coach, learning consultant, speaker, and Meditation + Embodiment teacher who designs, delivers, and facilitates transformational content and experiences.
Her business leadership experience over the past two decades in marketing, operations, sales, business development, strategic partnerships, and learning & development has allowed her to work with some of the world’s leading brands and organizations.
She possesses a rare ability to create larger organizational visions and make things real while achieving and exceeding targets, operating profitable P&Ls, and leading empowered teams who take responsibility for their results and their worlds.
Connect with her on Linkedin
Show Notes
(01:30) Would you like to introduce yourself to our listeners?
(03:14) How can we demonstrate humanity in the workplace? What does it mean?
(05:10) How can organizations foster a more empathetic and compassionate workplace culture?
(07:40) How can organizations encourage and support diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
(13:15) What steps can organizations take to promote a culture of respect, kindness, and humanity in the workplace?
(17:13) What role does emotional intelligence play in bringing more humanity to the workplace?
(21:12) Would you like to suggest valuable tips to our listeners?
