Our social brains are wired to connect—with people, not just devices! Scientific research demonstrates that when we’re connected to one another in a socially pleasing way, our pleasure centers light up. In direct contrast, the pain centers of our brains intensify when people feel lonely or socially isolated. It’s natural to understand the value of this in our personal lives but did you know human connection is just as vital at work?
All business is personal and employees today want personal connections and happier workplaces more than just bonuses and extravagant compensation packages–it’s important that companies allow time for camaraderie around the water cooler.
When employees share with each other, bonds are strengthened, trust develops and employees feel empowered. Empowerment leads to self-confidence and removes fear, paving the way to enhanced teamwork and overall company engagement. Innovation, adaptation and problem-solving are all byproducts of employee engagement and that cannot happen in isolation.
We all fear the unknown. And when we don’t know people we can grow to fear or distrust them. When we fear we certainly don’t ask for help or confess to a mistake. At Everybody Up! we teach fun exercises and skills that build the connections that make for a collaborative, teamwork environment. In a recent post-workshop survey, 80% of our attendees said that it would now be easier to tell their supervisor when they made a mistake. Knowing about a mistake earlier rather than later can make a huge difference…sometimes the difference of keeping that client. And it all starts with knowing you can trust the boss and each other!