The Human Connection: What it is, what it matters, and how to cultivate it

What if we could elevate our work from endless to-do lists to something more meaningful: genuine connection and camaraderie? I’m not talking “kumbaya.” I’m talking about real, quality relationships.

Human connection isn't a workplace perk. It's part of the infrastructure that allows people and organizations to function well.

People don’t need workplaces to be perfect. They need workplaces where they can be human. When we allow ourselves to be more authentic in our humanness, we inevitably become a little more vulnerable. And it is in that vulnerability that real connection becomes possible.

We need to feel seen, known, valued, trusted and that we belong. Those needs don't disappear when we move more of our work into Teams, Slack, email, Zoom, AI, dashboards and workflows. In some ways, the more mediated our work becomes, the easier it is to lose sight of the human being on the other side.

Brené Brown makes an important distinction between belonging and fitting in. Fitting in asks us to assess the room and become who we think we need to be to be accepted. Belonging asks something different: that we show up as ourselves.

That distinction matters at work. A culture where people feel they have to fit in can produce conformity, hesitation, indecisiveness, and low-efficacy leadership. A culture where people feel they belong creates room for creative expression, different perspectives, stronger collaboration, and real traction on ideas and initiatives.

Organizations that foster strong team dynamics, grounded in mutual respect and trust, create the conditions for people to do good work together. They are building something bigger than a functional team. They are creating a resilient workplace community.

What does it mean to be connected?

We interact with people all day. That's not necessarily connection.

Connection has some combination of:

• Attention: I'm actually present with you.

• Curiosity: I'm interested in understanding you, not just getting information from you.

• Recognition: I see you as a person, not merely your role or output.

• Authenticity: I don't have to exhibit a performed version of myself.

• Reciprocity: There is give and take – a mutual investment.

• Belonging: I have some sense that I matter here.

When people feel connected and psychologically safe in the workplace, they are more willing to:

• speak honestly

• ask for help

• admit mistakes

• challenge an idea

• offer a different perspective

• tell you something you may not want to hear

• own their role

Why does it matter?

Human beings have a fundamental need to belong, and decades of psychological research associate social connection with well-being, health, and resilience.

• Gallup's latest U.S. data puts workplace loneliness at 19%.

• The U.S. Surgeon General's framework explicitly identifies connection and community as one of the five essentials of workplace well-being.

When we feel connected, we show up differently. We listen better. We speak our truth more clearly. We take initiative. We participate in respectful, forthright, curious, and lively discourse.  

How do we cultivate it?

However you feel about artificial intelligence, it’s infiltrated our work. AI can increasingly help us write, analyze, organize, summarize, solve and communicate. It is also being used by workers for career help, personal growth, companionship, and emotional support. Yet more than half of the knowledge workers studied still reported moderate to high workplace loneliness.

Microsoft Research’s 2025 Future of Work research found that job satisfaction and intention to stay were more strongly associated with people’s social connection to colleagues than with AI-related variables.

To cultivate connections, learn the art of cultivating relationships, emotional wisdom, and mindfulness.

This month, practice any of the following behaviors with your team. You’ll not just make their experience more meaningful, but you too will feel more connected.

• Recognize unique contributions, preferences, values, motivators.

• Show genuine respect and appreciation for someone’s knowledge, skills, and experience.

• Be curious. Instead of immediately solving, judging or directing, ask: “Help me understand what's going on.”

• Have the conversation. Don't let email, Teams or AI become a substitute for a conversation that requires human empathy or honesty.

• Nurture Purpose & People. Invite people to contribute to something greater than themselves. Help them see that what they do matters, and that they matter in doing it.

• Make the invisible human, visible.

• Know people beyond their title/job description.

 Belonging isn't about everyone liking everyone. It's about knowing you matter to the group.

Cultures that nurture this kind of belonging have a stronger capacity to weather the inevitable storms of uncertainty, growth and change.

I believe in the power of a resilient, well-connected work community. And perhaps it starts with something remarkably simple: see the person in front of you. Be curious. Have the conversation. Make room for the human.

Because work is more than what we accomplish. It is also how we experience one another while we’re doing it.

Go ahead, nurture that connection at work. It’s what will make your workplace feel more like a community.  

Finding Joy in Your Work

Before you roll your eyes at the concept as some kind of work utopia only possible to those who found their calling in a dream job, let me explain.

Decades ago, I gained the moniker, “Joy Maker”. At first I thought it was a euphemism for being a people pleaser, and with it the burden to ensure others were happy. As a consummate reframer (and being genetically predisposed to enthusiastic optimism – thanks Dad), I realized being a joy maker was more about bringing my authentic self to work.

It was a core reason I transitioned from being a marketing consultant to a business therapist. I wanted people to find joy in their work, and I wanted to do that at the organizational level to make the greatest impact.

The phrase, “work is a four-letter word” is often a cynical and default way to express the idea that work can be unpleasant or undesirable. We get caught up in the grind, the drama, the hardships, and never-ending demands in such a way that it doesn’t fill our cup. Our problem-solving tendencies turn into seeing only what is not working and it can be disheartening.

Joy is a deep, uplifting feeling of happiness, contentment, or delight that often arises from meaningful experiences, personal connection, or inner fulfillment.

Joy can come from:

• A sense of purpose or alignment with one’s values

• Acts of kindness or connection with others

• Appreciation of beauty, nature, or the present moment

• Growth, creativity, or contribution

Meaningful experiences.

Connecting your work to a bigger purpose – the why you do what you do – can ground you and give meaning to the mundane. Examine your workplace. Are there opportunities to co-create something meaningful, a contribution that is bigger than you could do on your own?  Are there ways in which you offer growth and creativity that reward innovative thinking?

A quick inventory of my clients and I see:

• A construction project that improves urban infrastructure, thereby creating safer roads for our communities.

• A human-centered healthcare management firm, where both members and plans feel seen, heard, and cared for.

• An HR team that guides employees from recruitment to retirement, providing the expertise and support for thriving careers throughout the employee lifecycle.

• A leadership team with a vision to build a thriving culture of kindness, personal responsibility, can-do attitudes, and humble confidence.

Where and how can you create more meaning in your work?

Personal connection.

We spend a significant amount of time with the people in our work world. Healthy organizations create a sense of belonging for employees. The relationships we build – teammates, managers, mentors, clients, consultants – all hold the potential to shape the depths of our joy and satisfaction.

Fostering a personal connection does not require becoming besties with your coworkers. The connection may grow from a shared desire to deliver great work, or a deep appreciation for someone’s knowledge and skills, or a shared experience of moving through a difficult challenge together (and being stronger for it!). Being vulnerable and learning together while impacting results or creating change is a powerful relationship-builder.

What do you admire about the people in your work world? Where can you level up your collaboration to deepen the connection?

Inner fulfillment.

You may be doubtful that work can bring inner fulfillment unless, like my friend Zo, you are a Buddhist monk. In the context of work, fulfillment can be achieved by knowing your motivators and values. For example, I am motivated to contribute to people’s growth, and I value creativity and agency. When I combine these in service to my clients, I feel immensely satisfied and accomplished.

What fulfills you? Where do you find your flow? What are you naturally drawn to?

Answers to these questions are your hints to creating fulfillment at work. Over the years, I have heard clients say they thrive on a complex challenge, in a fast-paced environment with variety, on a mutually respected, purpose-driven team, and in creating operational efficiencies.

What can you shift to create more joy?

• Mindset. How we choose to see the world influences our experience of it.

• How you show up. Unconsciously, we can create a self-fulfilling prophecy of work being hard, stressful, and unrewarding, i.e. “a four-letter word”. And while it is undeniable that work brings its own headaches, we have some agency about the energy we bring and the boundaries we place. (Remember, humans are good at making things harder than they need to be).

• How you use your time. Our relationship to time plays an important role in joyfulness. The more presence we can bring and the clearer commitments we can make will influence our experience. What can you say yes to – and what will you say no to?

• Appreciating the micro wins as deposits into your joy account. Progress and learning are to be celebrated as discoveries and growth.

• Inviting a bit of enthusiasm for a project or task, rather than giving into drudgery or going through the motions.

• Feed your optimism by allowing yourself to imagine best-case scenarios that generate a sense of possibility and aliveness.

The formula for joy is not very complicated, but it does take a bit of reflection. When we raise our awareness of our wants, needs, motivators, and values, we can live more intentionally and in alignment. That kind of congruence helps us travel lighter in our world, opening the doors for more joy.

Unlike fleeting pleasure or excitement, joy is more enduring and rooted—it can exist even in the midst of challenges. Joy is not just an emotion, but a state of being—one that can be cultivated through gratitude, mindfulness, and living authentically. That, and the simple permission-based belief that is it possible to experience joy in our work world.

What fills your cup?