Capitolo 1
When Business Gets Personal: The Power of Human Connection
In a world dominated by digital screens and constant connectivity, something essential has gone missing from our workplaces. As I scroll through my teenage children's Instagram feeds or watch colleagues text each other from neighboring cubicles, I'm reminded of what Erica Keswin discovered after 25 years as a workplace strategist: we're living in a digital Wild West with no sheriff in sight. Her groundbreaking book "Bring Your Human to Work" arrives at a critical moment when 75% of the global workforce will soon be millennials demanding meaningful work and authentic company cultures. The book has become a touchstone for forward-thinking leaders across industries, from tech giants to small businesses, all seeking that elusive balance between technological efficiency and genuine human connection. What makes this approach so powerful isn't just that it feels good-it's that it works. Companies embracing human-centered practices are seeing dramatic improvements in recruitment, retention, and revenue. As Keswin demonstrates through compelling research and vivid case studies, the most successful businesses today aren't just profitable-they're profoundly human.
Capitolo 2
The Authenticity Advantage: Speaking in a Human Voice
Ellen Bennett transformed kitchen aprons into a booming lifestyle brand through one simple principle: "Be real, and encourage other people to be real." Her company, Hedley & Bennett, now outfits over 5,000 restaurants worldwide because she understood what research confirms-emphasizing workers' "authentic best selves" leads to greater employee retention and customer satisfaction.
Values drive everything a company does, whether articulated or not. At JetBlue University in Orlando, new hires experience total "Blue-Juice indoctrination" where the company's five core values-Safety, Integrity, Caring, Passion, and Fun-are brought to life through stories and experiences. Despite controlling only 5% of air travel seats, JetBlue has grown revenue nearly threefold over ten years by making these values the "glue" holding their organization together.
These aren't just wall decorations-they're demonstrated through powerful stories like a crew member helping a mother with her developmentally delayed son during a bathroom emergency. The values create a web of relationships: for employees to share values with customers, they must first experience those values themselves. As one crew member explained after receiving extraordinary support following a car accident: "JetBlue takes such good care of me...that I want to take care of my passengers and everyone around."
Lyft broke into the ride-sharing market by letting their values drive their business approach. Unlike Uber's traditional taxi service model, Lyft encourages passengers to sit in the front seat and engage in conversation. Their mission "to reconnect people through transportation and bring communities together" is supported by core values that are implemented through concrete actions-hiring a VP of People, welcoming employees' dogs, providing community service budgets, and establishing a rotating Culture Board.
Once a company knows its values, that identity must be shared authentically. Smart companies establish their voice systematically through storytelling-personal, professional, and brand stories that express a company's truth. At Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, honesty drives their "enlightened hospitality" approach. When Chief Culture Officer Erin Moran addressed 125 employees, she spoke vulnerably about never having worked in restaurants before-earning a standing ovation and credibility boost.
Food52, founded by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, competes in the online food space through authenticity and personal touch. Their core value-"Personal Touch: We treat everyone in our community with warmth and care"-drives their approach, from writing 2,000 handwritten thank-you notes to early customers to giving behind-the-scenes glimpses on social media. This approach has made Food52 one of NYC's fastest-growing businesses.
When values are defined and voice articulated, companies must engage employees in the brand's mission. JetBlue empowers crew members through "JetGrey"-trusting them to make real-time decisions using their own judgment. This empowerment allows genuine helpfulness, empathy, and even fun to shine through, as when crew members make cheeky announcements like "For those traveling with more than one child, please pick your favorite."
Capitolo 3
Playing the Long Game: Sustainability as a Mindset
Sustainability has evolved beyond environmental concerns to creating an ecosystem that supports all people. Like the famous marshmallow test where only 30% of children could delay gratification for greater rewards, businesses must play the long game to thrive. Top talent, especially millennials, demand this approach-they seek meaningful missions over paychecks.
Creating a sustainable workplace requires intentional practices that accommodate people's real lives. Employees want "freelance flexibility with full-time stability," with studies showing 79% report better experiences when work schedules accommodate personal responsibilities. Food52 offers "Workday Wednesday" for remote work, Raytheon uses a 9/80 schedule giving employees every other Friday off, and HubSpot makes flexibility a core value that's "talked about all the time."
Parental leave represents a critical intentional approach. Airbnb exemplifies this with its "child bonding leave"-10 paid weeks for all new parents, including adoptive ones. They ease the transition back with 80% work for 100% pay, take-home dinners, and even express-shipping breast milk for traveling mothers.
The Muse allows employees to bring babies to work for the first six months or until they start crawling, with "baby squads" of volunteer colleagues who help watch infants during meetings. This flexibility makes a "real difference in child care costs" and eases the transition back from parental leave.
After her husband's unexpected death, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg increased Facebook's bereavement leave from 10 to 20 days, declaring "No one should ever have to choose between being a good family member and a good employee." Her example inspired other corporations like Mastercard to follow suit.
Strategic diversity isn't about simple bean counting but creating truly heterogeneous teams across multiple dimensions. Studies show diverse teams are more accurate and accountable than homogeneous ones. Companies with gender-diverse management teams have 48% higher operating margins, and 85% of CEOs with diversity strategies report enhanced performance.
EY's approach to diversity goes beyond traditional categories to include different religions, technical expertise, work experiences, and communication styles. Their commitment has yielded measurable results: teams with 30% women across 90 countries showed six percentage points higher margins and 15 percentage points higher revenues. Their elegantly simple metric-asking employees if they feel free to be themselves at work-correlates strongly with productivity, engagement, and retention.
After tragedies like the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse, consumers began demanding transparency in supply chains. Forward-thinking companies now showcase their ethical sourcing as part of their brand identity. Lori Joyce founded Betterwith, "100 percent Honest Ice Cream," after discovering most store-bought ice creams lacked sufficient butterfat. Despite pressure to launch quickly, Joyce insisted on finding traceable milk first-the very foundation of her business concept.
Capitolo 4
Finding the Sweet Spot Between Technology and Connection
Technology plays a supporting role in nearly everything we do, especially communication. We must match our medium to our message-the higher the stakes, the more personal the communication should be. In any situation, ask: "What is the best medium to honor this relationship?"
Finding the sweet spot means ensuring the right technology is in position. JetBlue's mission to "inspire humanity" starts at new-hire orientation. By automating mundane onboarding paperwork, they enable orientation leaders to focus on building relationships with new hires through small talk and human connection.
At airports, JetBlue introduced self-serve kiosks for check-in and bag tagging, freeing crew members to focus on passengers who truly need assistance-like an overtired mother traveling alone with three young children or customers requiring wheelchairs.
Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group uses technology to maintain the personal touch he's famous for in his restaurants. When a loyal pair of customers tweeted they might miss their last stop at Shake Shack in Kennedy Airport due to running late, an employee ran burgers and shakes straight to their gate. Meyer's philosophy is to "use tech to enhance touch," listening to guest conversations both in-person and on social media.
Sweetgreen, with 75 locations across eight states, uses technology to create what they call "intimacy to scale." The fast-casual restaurant chain wants customers to feel they're visiting their Sweetgreen, not just any location. They achieve this by tracking customer preferences and having individual employees make entire salads rather than using an assembly line.
ThirdLove revolutionizes bra shopping by replacing uncomfortable dressing rooms with privacy and exceptional customer service. Their Fit Finder uses online questions about a woman's current bra experience to determine exact breast shape. With data from approximately 8 million women's fits, their algorithms recommend bras with the precision of an experienced fitter. When problems arise, a team of 125 extensively trained female customer service representatives stands ready to help.
Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff's "smart dressing rooms" feature mirrors that allow customers to order drinks, receive personalized clothing recommendations through RFID tags, and adjust lighting to match different settings. This technology creates an intimate shopping experience, as if Minkoff herself were offering friendly advice. Since launching the smart mirrors, sales have increased by 200 percent.
Capitolo 5
Mind Your Meetings: The Heart of Workplace Connection
Americans hold 36 million meetings daily, wasting an estimated $37 billion annually on unproductive gatherings. Yet people still value meetings for human connection. The problem isn't quantity but quality-most meetings don't respect people's time or honor relationships.
Before sending meeting invites, pause to consider if the meeting is truly necessary and what purpose it serves. Align your meeting style with company values-if you value meticulous process, schedule periodic think-tanks; if you prefer quick decisions, hold standing or walking meetings.
Mogul CEO Tiffany Pham expertly brings company values to life through meetings with her 50 employees. She demonstrates transparency by sharing financials and key metrics. She promotes shared voice by encouraging everyone to speak up, sometimes directly asking quieter employees for input. And she embodies education by regularly checking in with staff about their professional development needs.
We've become masters at "phubbing" (phone snubbing)-maintaining eye contact while dividing attention between the meeting and our devices. This multitasking epidemic costs the U.S. economy an estimated $650 billion annually and erodes both productivity and brain function.
With infinite distractions competing for attention, we must intentionally set the tone for presence. Eileen Fisher opens meetings with a meditation gong for centering. Microsoft's Satya Nadella begins leadership meetings with "Researcher of the Amazing"-stories showing Microsoft technology aligned with company values. Centro begins meetings with emotional check-ins, while workplace strategist Max Chopovsky recommends circular tables over rectangular ones to create more inclusive conversation dynamics.
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner practices compassionate management inspired by the Dalai Lama, distinguishing between compassion (understanding another's perspective) and empathy (feeling what another feels). This approach has helped grow LinkedIn from $78 million to over $4 billion in revenue. Weiner personally leads biweekly all-hands meetings that thousands of employees attend in person or virtually, demonstrating LinkedIn's value that "relationships matter."
Todd Yellin, Netflix's SVP of product strategy, runs meetings with one cardinal rule: be fully present, with absolutely no technology allowed. His weekly product strategy meetings attract 15-50 voluntary attendees who must prepare by reading detailed pre-meeting documents and be ready to contribute-no passive participation allowed. To ensure all voices are heard, not just extroverts', he uses a hand-raising system rather than a "Jeopardy-style" approach.
Capitolo 6
Well-Being at Work: The Human Side of Wellness
Corporate wellness programs have evolved significantly since Italian physician Bernardino Ramazzini first connected occupational health and wellness in 1700. Today, 70 percent of U.S. employers offer wellness programs, creating an $8 billion industry. Organizations with highly effective wellness programs experience just 9 percent turnover compared to 15 percent for those with ineffective programs.
Philadelphia-based healthcare consulting firm Vynamic exemplifies the holistic approach to workplace wellness under CEO Dan Calista's mission to build "the healthiest company in the world." With "Healthy culture is our business strategy" as their mantra, Vynamic has created extraordinary employee loyalty-one consultant admitted, "If I won the lottery I would come back to Vynamic."
One of Vynamic's most radical well-being initiatives is allowing consultants to choose their projects and locations-a stark contrast to the typical "go where the job is" consulting model. This creates what Calista calls a "no-debt environment" where employees don't feel obligated to take unwanted assignments.
Vynamic's commitment to wellness extends throughout daily operations. When consultant Laura Pappas expressed interest in wellness coaching, Calista paid for her certification and created a dedicated "health and care" position. Beyond providing treadmill desks, ergonomic chairs, and LED lighting, Vynamic offers a "Be Your Best Self" program where employees set personal goals and receive resources to achieve them.
Vynamic's zzzMail policy recognizes that all relationships matter-not just those at work but with family and friends outside the office. Beyond zzzMail, Vynamic offers human-friendly schedules (generally 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), four months of 100-percent paid parental leave, and numerous opportunities to give back to the community.
Former surgeon general Dr. Vivek H. Murthy declared that America's most common disease isn't cancer or heart disease-it's isolation and social disconnection. Georgetown professor Christine Porath offers simple but powerful advice: be nice. Her research shows that workplace incivility depletes immune systems and contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and ulcers.
Capitolo 7
The Power of Giving Back: Creating Inspired Employees
Corporate giving is surging in popularity, with Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For showing increased social impact programs. Even 74% of smaller businesses (under 500 employees) give time off for volunteering. This trend is backed by solid business rationale: "inspired" employees are 225% more productive than merely "engaged" ones and three times more productive than "disengaged" workers.
When Brian Berger founded men's underwear company Mack Weldon in 2012, he wanted to incorporate giving back but refused to adopt an approach that felt inauthentic or financially unsustainable. After growing 827% between 2013-2016, Berger launched "Mack Weldon Recycles"-a program allowing customers to return up to 45 pounds of old clothing in a "two-way drawer" shipping box. The strategy proved brilliant: customers who recycled added 220% more lifetime value than non-recyclers.
Jake Schwartz created General Assembly after his own struggles finding meaningful work post-college. Rather than choosing specific causes for charitable giving, GA created the Opportunity Fund-a system where GA contributes its training expertise at cost while partners like Target, Adobe, and AT&T fund programs for underserved communities.
When planning a catalog photoshoot, Faherty Brand president Kerry Faherty suggested Haiti instead of Malibu. Partnering with Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ), she committed to raising $50,000-enough to send 40 kids to school, pay a teacher's salary, and provide supplies for a year. The team's trip to Haiti was transformative, bringing perspective about struggles beyond their daily business concerns.
Capitolo 8
The Art of Disconnection: Finding Balance in a Digital World
Humans need mental breaks to function properly. Research shows that disconnecting from technology allows our brains to process memories better, generate original ideas, and make significant life changes. Despite these benefits, Americans are chronically under-vacationed-the average employee takes only half their eligible time off, leaving 658 million vacation days unused.
Tristan Walker, CEO of Walker & Company, exemplifies starting a business with clear values around disconnection. Despite raising $33 million and growing revenue 200% in 2017, Walker prioritizes "faith, family, work - in that order" and leaves work by 6pm most days. He established wellness as a core company value from the beginning and demonstrated his commitment by taking a three-month paternity leave as CEO.
Architecture firm Rowland+Broughton faced a crisis when employee turnover hit 30% due to burnout. The married cofounders hired a head of culture and implemented systems to track all employee activities to ensure proper work-life balance. Recognizing that leaders set the tone exponentially, they embraced change by taking a month-long sabbatical to Europe. Their firm now enjoys increased revenue, reduced turnover, and 60% repeat business.
Companies can foster disconnection through various approaches: Slack's headquarters displays the motto "Work hard and go home" and deliberately doesn't serve dinner. REI made headlines by closing on Black Friday, encouraging employees to #optoutside with family. Huffington Post and Daimler use software that automatically deletes emails received during vacations. PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand implemented "Leaders Leaving Loudly" - encouraging leaders to announce when they leave early for personal reasons.
Capitolo 9
Creating Spaces That Foster Human Connection
Our physical workspaces profoundly shape our interactions and productivity. With only 11% of workers highly satisfied with their environment, thoughtful office design can increase productivity by at least 25%. Without intentional spaces for interaction, you might as well give everyone a laptop and a Starbucks card.
When Squarespace CEO Anthony Casalena found his growing company spread across six floors in four buildings, he recognized the threat to their collaborative culture. Working with design firm A+I, they created a workspace that physically embodied Squarespace's values. Rather than traditional offices along exterior walls, they placed common areas in the interior while reserving the light-filled perimeter for quiet, focused work available to everyone.
Office seating arrangements significantly impact workplace relationships. David Siegel, CEO of Investopedia, strategically places employees near those he wants them to collaborate with, rather than near their reporting managers. "People build relationships with those with the most similar backgrounds, careers, and interests. As a leader, you need to break this paradigm."
At DoSomething.org, desk swapping is formalized through a biannual event called "the Reaping" (named after The Hunger Games). At 9:30 AM on Reaping day, names are drawn one by one, with each employee having 15 seconds to choose a new seat when selected. The ritual serves as a "restart" opportunity-employees clear clutter, polish desks, and enjoy a fresh start.
Betterment organizes employees in "pods" that shift every four to six months. Their handbook explains that "a simple change in work environment can frequently lead to a bigger change in perspective," fostering transparency and camaraderie between departments.
CBRE transformed their traditional office setup into a high-tech, free-address system called Workplace360. President Lew Horne engaged skeptics by sending employees to visit companies with open offices, involved 25% of staff in researching technology and furniture options, and created an experimental "test kitchen" zone. Leaders demonstrated transparency by trying changes first and documenting their experiences in a Friday blog.
Capitolo 10
The Personal Side of Professional Development
Professional development has evolved from an occasional perk to an essential business practice that shapes company culture and employee retention. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella frames the challenge as moving from a "know-it-all" to a "learn-it-all" culture, emphasizing continuous learning as a cornerstone of success. With 70 percent of employees dissatisfied with growth opportunities and lack of career development being the number one reason people leave organizations, companies must take meaningful education seriously. This dissatisfaction often manifests in decreased productivity, lower engagement, and higher turnover rates, costing organizations both talent and resources.
At DoSomething.org, CEO Aria Finger has implemented a highly personalized approach to professional development by personally tracking what matters to her 60-person team. She maintains detailed notes on each employee's interests, aspirations, and potential growth areas, connecting them with opportunities aligned to their interests. This includes matching employees with mentors, identifying conference opportunities, and creating special projects that stretch their capabilities. DoSomething offers remarkable four-week sabbaticals to employees after just two years-with conditions that employees identify a replacement who can grow from the experience and commit to staying another year upon return. This innovative program has resulted in improved employee satisfaction and created natural succession planning opportunities.
Jon Stein, Eagle Scout turned CEO of Betterment, applies lessons from his scouting days to employee development, emphasizing skill-building, leadership development, and community. As Betterment grew to 200 employees, Stein created an innovative "bands" system-eight-person cross-functional groups that meet monthly for meals and friendly competition. These bands allow new hires to connect with veterans and different departments to cross-pollinate ideas. The system includes monthly challenges, ranging from business problem-solving to community service projects, fostering both professional growth and team bonding.
At Refinery29, professional development takes a holistic approach, focusing on self-awareness rather than technical skills alone. Their "learning mindset" emphasizes empathy, strength spotting, and authentic self-management, recognizing that emotional intelligence and self-understanding are crucial for career advancement. The company provides individual coaching to help employees navigate challenges, build relationships, and develop leadership skills, with sessions tailored to each person's specific needs and career aspirations. Beyond formal coaching, Refinery29's School of Self-Expression offers creative classes like collage making, storytelling, and creative writing workshops, helping employees decompress while connecting across departments. These unconventional development opportunities have led to increased collaboration, improved communication, and a more innovative company culture.
The success of these programs demonstrates that effective professional development must go beyond traditional training to encompass personal growth, relationship building, and creative expression. Companies that invest in comprehensive development programs see improved retention rates, stronger internal networks, and more engaged employees who feel valued and supported in their career journeys.
Capitolo 11
The Transformative Power of Gratitude
Gratitude forms the foundation of a human workplace, as illustrated through the author's personal experience with Ashley, a Starbucks barista whose genuine care created lasting customer loyalty. Expressing gratitude not only honors relationships but also positively impacts the bottom line.
SoulCycle exemplifies gratitude through their pin program, where employees receive pins representing the company's 10 core values after one year. When someone sees a colleague embodying these values, they #Soulitforward by giving them a pin and explaining how their actions inspired them. This creates what CEO Melanie Whelan calls "an ecosystem of celebration of core values."
Indagare, a boutique travel community, holds daily gratitude sessions at 9 a.m. Employees take turns sharing something they're grateful for and offering a wish of happiness to another person. This practice not only starts the day positively but helps colleagues genuinely connect by learning what matters in each other's lives.
JetBlue's "Lift" program exemplifies real-time gratitude aligned with company values. Employees can nominate colleagues at any level for upholding JetBlue values, with nominees immediately receiving a gift card of their choice. Within four months of implementation, employees felt 88% more appreciated.
Despite these benefits, a John Templeton Foundation survey revealed the workplace as where people are least likely to express gratitude, with only 10% doing so regularly-a missed opportunity for both happiness and business results.
Creating a culture of gratitude requires thoughtful consideration of who receives thanks, when it's expressed, and how it's delivered. Gratitude should flow in all directions-managers to employees, peers to peers, employees to managers, and even to clients and partners. These practices create a workplace where people feel genuinely seen and appreciated-the ultimate expression of bringing your human to work.
