3 Ways to Be More Fiercely Human in the Workplace

A guide for leaders who prioritize people

Fiercely human. Slalom recently launched this slogan as part of its new branding campaign. I didn’t think it was possible to articulate my passion and inspiration for the consulting work I do so simply, but Slalom managed to do it in just two words. Businesses wouldn’t be businesses without the human beings behind them, so it only makes sense that we double down on humanity to drive business outcomes.

Being ‘fiercely human’ doesn’t mean we have to give up productivity or profits. Just the opposite. When we fully invest in the well-being, development, and growth of our people, we organically drive business results because we know that employee engagement and performance are intrinsically linked.

I wrote about a similar topic in 2018, and it’s reassuring — yet not surprising — that the importance of humanity remains just as important as it was four years go. In fact, if the pandemic showed us anything, it is that technology can only take us so far.

• Managers still remain the single biggest lever to employee engagement (Gallup)
• Organizations with highly engaged employees still experience increased profitability than those with disengaged employees (by more than 20%) (Gallup)
• Companies that intentionally focus on change management and employee engagement efforts are still more likely to achieve business objectives than those that don’t (Prosci)

Yes, Slalom is a global business and technology company, so naturally, we are proponents of technology driving the future. But above all else, we’re advisors, strategists, and engineers focused on people. With 43 global offices (and growing), our expertise and reach spans geographies, industries, verticals, and capabilities. It spans nationalities, ethnicities, genders, races, and ages. We see a lot, and our observations quickly become learnings that enrich our work and create impact with our clients.

Here are some of the trends we are seeing that may help you think a bit differently about your business and role as a leader.

1. Technology projects aren’t just “technology projects”

Over the past 6 years, I have partnered with clients in financial services, power and energy, education, media and advertising, manufacturing, and more who recognize that the ROI of any technology implementation is dependent on 100% of adoption from the people who will be responsible for using the technology. Adoption doesn’t happen organically. It takes an intentional focus on driving awareness and creating buy-in across every stakeholder that is impacted. We are helping organizations break down the fundamentals of change and build a comprehensive change strategy that includes:

• Developing a clear and compelling case for change and success metrics
• Assessing the level of impact and risk of the technology change within the organization
• Engaging and activating sponsors that will evangelize the change and generate buy-in
• Creating actionable change plans to ensure communication, training, leadership, and change champion efforts are executed effectively
• Implementing a sound measurement approach to ensure that the organization is tracking what is most important in alignment with business outcomes

If your technology project doesn’t include an effective change strategy, lets talk. You can’t afford to miss the mark.

2. ‘Human-centered design’ is not just a fad

While skinny jeans may be going out of style, the humans that wear them are here to stay. Organizations who get this — that designing solutions around the humans impacted by them is not just a fad — are gaining a competitive advantage. A telling example of this is the work I have been doing with a regional bank over the past several months. Rather than making assumptions around product development and innovation, the bank conducted extensive research to understand their customers’ true needs. This research indicated that, coming out of the pandemic, there is a growing number of emerging small businesses with owners who are looking for a more personalized and consultative bank partner to support them as they open their vital business. As a result, the bank is testing various solutions to better serve this customer base to ensure: 1) the products it is offering are more relevant and accessible to emerging business owners, and 2) the onboarding process for new customers is as easy and streamlined as possible. This is human-centered design, and this is no longer an option but an imperative for organizations to outpace their competitors.

3. The “little” things are the BIG things

Just like many of our clients, Slalom is actively navigating the war on talent. We recognize that, more than ever, people have the freedom and flexibility to work anywhere — stressing the importance of being intentional around the experience we provide our employees. Yes, “employee experience programs” can be complex and multi-faceted, but they also can be as simple and fundamental as:

· Taking time out of your day to say “thank you” or “great job” to a colleague

· Creating forums for women (or any group of people) in your office to informally connect about life, family, hobbies, growth, etc.

· Finding opportunities in new hire onboarding programs to put the devices down and participate in a fun, low pressure outdoor group activity

All of these are simple but meaningful examples of how we continue to prioritize the people driving the work behind the success we have seen at Slalom. As a result of practices like these, we have seen our Charlotte office practically double in size in just one year and employees who are engaged in their work and deeply committed to helping our clients achieve their outcomes.

More broadly, our global team launched Slalom HabLab consisting of a cohort of 350+ individuals who are taking part in a series of experiments to help us understand how people work and what we can better do to support them. Experiments consist of coffee chats that inspire friendship and connection, a partnership with the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative to evaluate the neuroscience of remote work, coaching and mental health programs to support our people, and more. Learn more about our HabLab on our Slalom On Air podcast; you may just be inspired to run an experiment or two in your workplace.

Whether your employee experience programs need an overhaul or facelift, we’ve got your back. We are living and breathing it, right alongside of you. So many times we come across clients who push the “culture stuff” to the side because it is too complex to tackle. If you fall into this camp, our encouragement is to just start somewhere. By doing so, you will already be making tangible progress towards a fiercely human future that you and your employees love.

Are you ready to get started? Visit our website to find out how fiercely human consulting can help you.

Slalom is a global consulting firm that helps people and organizations dream bigger, move faster, and build better tomorrows for all. Learn more and reach out today.