Dissolving the growing disconnect people feel at work

People are less engaged at work than ever, with a decrease of 10% in the past year alone . I discussed several reasons for this in a past article , and my new book, The Flourishing Effect . They all stem from work experiences, particularly post-pandemic that bump up against human nature instead of leveraging it.

One of the biggest contributors is the growing disconnect between employees and their work, their colleagues, and their leaders. Some companies thought simply demanding people come back to an office would solve that problem. Unfortunately, that tactic only widened the divide between leaders and their people, triggering psychological tensions such as reactance and loss aversion when revoking the autonomy and balance experienced during the pandemic.?

A big source of this disconnect plays out in organizations, where there hasn’t been a formal acknowledgment and integration of the collective trauma and shift in consciousness experienced over the past several years. Instead, many leaders have tried to sweep it under the rug as if it didn’t happen, ignoring the lived experience of their people, and abandoning the learnings we uncovered about how we can work and live differently. This form of gaslighting also creates the perception that the company is out of touch with the external environment.

As we adjust to this new reality, there is the realization that people have changed in different ways, at different paces, and for different reasons. We’re trying to figure out who we are now, what we want out of our lives going forward, and how to interact with each other.?

To dissolve the disconnect, start building bridges and connecting the dots.?

Reverse mentoring. Leaders are increasingly disconnected from their employees and customers, often due to a lack of direct interaction and a very different lived experience. For leaders who want to bridge this gap, I recommend reverse mentoring, which enables them to leverage intel from their people to keep a pulse on employee and customer sentiment, as well as the zeitgeist at large. This could involve the organization starting a reverse mentoring program for people to opt-in to be randomly matched, or perhaps a leader organically reaches out to an employee for mentoring on a new technology or to better understand the customer experience. This creates a mutually beneficial relationship of connection, knowledge transfer, and professional confidence.??

Re-onboarding. In Ron Carucci’s recent HBR article , he offers a practical way to start resetting relationships within and amongst teams. I would argue this exercise would be beneficial in fostering connection, trust, and collaboration during ANY organizational transformation, merger, or integration. Carucci gives the example of holding a two-day session of round-robin conversations, where people gather to “meet for the first time…again.” Each person comes prepared to share their responses to five prompts:

1. The most significant thing that’s different about me since the pandemic started is…
2. The thing I’m most concerned about returning to work in our hybrid approach is…
3. I’m most excited about this team’s ability to…
4. The help I need to be successful on this team is
5. The contribution I feel I can make to your success is…?

Shared experiences. Intentionally creating opportunities for shared experiences strengthens bonds and ignites a powerful sense of connection and collaboration.? There are countless ways to do this, ranging from renting out a museum for an event to working together on a volunteer activity for charity to hosting a musical artist. Even when teams are geographically distributed, this can be done via virtual off-sites with interesting speakers, scavenger hunts, and show-and-tell sessions. It can be as simple as having the team listen to a podcast, read a book, or try a recipe, and then discuss it together.

Shared identity. Designing team interactions that unite people and build a shared identity, creates a sense of belonging and pride. Creating containers where people can come together in a peer-to-peer community, support each other, help solve problems, and hold each other accountable is powerful. Employee resource groups (ERGs) are great examples of this, bringing people together around shared values, interests, and commonalities.?

Shared purpose. Aligning people around a shared purpose causes their ego and focus on themselves to drop away, enabling them to perform at higher levels to contribute to the collective.? Think of a championship sports team or a high-performing emergency room team, who unites around a common mission.? To cultivate this kind of energy in your organization, you can frame things in a way that inspires people emotionally and encourages them to unite around a common goal. A great way to do this is to establish cross-functional teams composed of members from different functions and regions, empowered to act and take responsibility for various aspects of the organization’s purpose or strategic priorities.

Show them their role in the bigger picture. By harnessing our human need to transcend our individual goals and connect with a larger mission, organizations can achieve their business objectives while making the work more fulfilling. It all comes down to positioning the work and connecting the dots in a deliberate way that gives people a clear understanding of how the work they do makes a difference to others. When they understand why what they're doing matters, work transforms from completing tasks and hitting targets, into being part of something truly special.??

Interdependence. Another powerful tool is cultivating interdependence. When each person understands how they need, and are needed by others across the organization, it builds motivation, collaboration, and accountability, as team members learn to rely on each other's strengths and expertise. A great way to do this is for leaders to leverage storytelling and highlight the impact each person has on the team, and the impact the team has on the broader organization and community.?

I'd love to hear what resonates with you and ways you're dissolving the disconnect.