How The Humana Building Sparked Employee Engagement...(and what a building can NEVER do for employee engagement)

The spaces in which we work can inspire and engage employees in ways that other aspects of our work just can’t achieve. Now that Humana has announced they are leaving their signature, namesake, high-rise headquarters, I’m reflecting on what it was like to work in that building, what workspaces mean for employee engagement, and what they don’t mean.

Like many residents of Louisville, Kentucky, I watched with fascination as Humana announced an architectural design competition for their new headquarters, the subsequent award of the Michael Graves design, and eventual construction of The Humana Building.

I loved watching the time-lapse video as a glorious cornerstone of downtown revitalization emerged from a massive crater at the corner of Fifth and Main Streets in Louisville. From 1983 to 1985, it was a focal point of community intrigue and sparked Museum Row, bourbon distilleries, hotels, and much more along a two-mile stretch of downtown that had declined through the 1970s and early 1980s.

But its design and construction were not without controversy. It's a quirky building that some called a twenty-seven-story cash register. It was constructed with contrasting materials including granite, marble, glass, bronze, and more. Street-level colonnades encouraged foot traffic but confused pedestrians about access points to restaurants, retail shops, and points of entry. It was ahead of its time and seemed out of place among a skyline forest of glass and steel high-rises built in the 1960s and 1970s.

Despite those factors, the design connected the business hub with an emerging arts and entertainment district. It created pedestrian traffic from the Ohio River's edge to all of downtown. And it eventually brought more than 12,000 people downtown each day to work, dine, shop - and for some - new places to live in the heart of the city.

Moreover, it was a signal that Humana, known for shifting or refining its business focus and strategy every six or seven years, was committed to innovating and recreating itself in the city where it originated: Louisville, KY.

After living and working in other cities from the 1980s through 2005, I was back in Louisville leading HR at a company whose headquarters was in a neighboring high rise about three blocks away that faced The Humana Building. Our floor-to-ceiling windows framed The Humana Building in every vista for my entire workday.

I said to myself, “One day, I’m going to take my career to Humana and work in The Humana Building.” I was still in love with the pink marble cash register. And with the help and generosity of a lot of people, I did just that. For almost ten years, I thrived in that space.

You could hardly pass by the three-story waterfalls at the Main Street entrance to The Humana Building without feeling the current of the Ohio River and sensing the The Falls of The Ohio that splashed just a few blocks behind you.

In Michael Graves’ award winning design, there were plenty of design concepts that made the space feel unique. There were nooks, crannies, and narrow hallways that contrasted with open spaces and expansive, spectacular views. He incorporated Frank Lloyd Wright’s “compress and release” concept in several places.

My favorite - whether or not it was intentionally designed that way - was the Main Street entrance. On my very first day at Humana, I entered through a lower-ceiling area (compress) and two sets of heavy bronze doors, then I stepped into the expansive lobby (release) with marble walls of various colors soaring several stories high with balconies and interior “windows” opening onto a neo-classical atrium.

But what was most stunning about stepping into that space on my first day at Humana was seeing one of my new coworkers standing in the center of that gorgeous lobby waiting to welcome me at 7:45 AM. They shook my hand and took me on a tour through The Humana Building’s key spaces where I would meet, collaborate, and perform my work.

That moment of inspiration in the lobby and the warm welcome from a coworker on Day One became a tradition I volunteered to recreate every time we added a new member to our team at Humana. There really was nothing like having a human being and The Humana Building warmly welcome you on the first day of your new job.

I loved interviewing candidates on the south side of the 25th floor overlooking downtown Louisville through floor-to-ceiling bay windows that were almost two stories high. For a time, it was a best kept secret space for a quiet interview in comfortable wingback chairs. The inspiring, day-lit view wrapped around the interview conversation and made the space feel more like a fireside chat at home than what most candidates expected: an interrogation of their work history.

I realized those spaces put our candidates at ease and signaled to them that I was intentionally creating a safe space for them to be their best selves in a traditionally tense hiring conversation.

And I know it was a space that would seal the deal if a candidate was unsure about making their final decision to join Humana or one of our competitors. Like The Oval Office at The White House, The Humana Building carried gravitas within its walls. It was a strong symbol of our confidence in our mission and a symbol of innovative approaches to improve health and well-being solutions in a complex world.

The Humana Building was an integral part of my day-to-day work: training leaders in state of the art learning facilities; coaching executives in quiet, secluded spaces; lunch from five-star, restaurant quality food stations in the Humana Unity Building (a series renovated flatiron buildings next to to The Humana Building); working out in the underground gym, and meetings with colleagues on just about every floor and in every corner of the building. Happy times in a stunning workplace.

Humana continuously redesigned the interior of the building for more collaborative, open spaces; created an open, two-story c-suite "building within a building" to increase executive interaction; and crafted workspace upgrades that reflected our commitment to well-being...all while bathing the interior with vibrant colors, natural light, and a collection of classical and contemporary art to inspire the senses.

A few years after leaving Humana, I was invited to be the keynote speaker for a leadership event from the 25th floor ballroom area with an in-person audience, live-streamed audiences at other Humana locations in the US, and directly to employee desktops. While I like to think I’m an inspiring speaker even in a nondescript hotel ballroom, there is nothing in the world like taking the stage and having the advantage of Humana’s “front porch” outdoor space twenty five stories in the air overlooking the Ohio River and the Louisville skyline as your backdrop! It's a keynote speaker's dream space.

I’m certain that it’s not a perfect building. There are plenty of articles about its flaws and complexities. And yes, times change, workplace needs change, and nothing lasts forever. Not even a grand gem like The Humana Building.

But a building is not its people. Materials do not create meaning. It's a shell that comes alive when human beings inhabit the space and create from within. While a building may reflect the brand or become a symbol of something the organization values, it's only as vibrant as the people inside. The building serves as a prompt to generate curiosity about what's really happening on the inside: people living out their dreams, talents, energies, and wisdom to create something larger than themselves as individuals.

For me, The Humana Building was - and is - an unforgettable workspace experience. It’s where my executive coaching and professional speaking careers blossomed. And it's where friendships and professional relationships thrived.

The Humana Building taught me to never underestimate the positive impact that intentional spaces have to attract and recruit talent, engage employees, inspire clients and collaborators, foster friendships, and generate “pride of place” in the work that we do.

I'm now the Chief HR Officer & Chief Coaching Officer of a global company that has always been and continues to be completely virtual. We've never had an office, and our team is scattered all around the globe. As hybrid and all-virtual workplaces become more convenient and pervasive, it may seem that reflecting on the value of inspiring workspaces like The Humana Building is old fashioned.

And yet, our human needs - and the business needs - for community and collaboration are greater than ever. Perhaps the value we create when we work together in person is enhanced or even accelerated when we convene at inspiring workspaces like The Humana Building.

Humana created other remarkable workspaces like The Waterside Building and others as the company's impact expanded throughout the US. For a time, that included an office in London that also reflected the consultative spirit with which Humana collaborated with the National Health Service. So, the tradition of innovative workspaces extends beyond the flagship Humana Building.

Whatever the space, let's not forget why we convene human beings to work together and where they gather. It matters. It's meaningful. And it works.

What are the workspaces and environments that inspire and engage you?

What can we learn from each other as companies close their buildings and shift the "workplace" to videoconferences and emails?

How do we create human connection and deepen employee engagement at a time when it's needed more than ever and humans at work are starving for deeper interaction?