But what can organizations do to improve their employees' outlook and workload while mitigating turnover? At Enboarder, we've spent six years developing a platform designed to get the best out of people, and the one thing we've continually relied on as our guiding principle is the power of human connection.

To activate and empower employees to their full potential –– both in work and in life –– organizations need to foster and maintain human connection, regardless of where their employees work.

We're losing human connection

Human connection is the vital ingredient in creating a happier workforce and a more successful business. But in a hybrid workplace, this ingredient is often sacrificed.

With fully remote and even hybrid work, employees that are not in the office full-time miss small but meaningful experiences and the opportunity to make friends at work. For example, grabbing a coffee in the kitchen and making idle chat with a co-worker from a different team may seem insignificant, but without these kinds of interactions, many employees can feel isolated and less productive. It's a connection that virtual experiences — like Zoom meetings and instant messaging — simply cannot replicate.

To boost motivation and ensure employees feel empowered to do their best work, employees need support and engagement throughout the employment journey. During times of change — whether it's a global pandemic or onboarding — human connection is even more critical to an employee's happiness and an organization's success in a distributed workforce.

4 steps to facilitate human connection in the hybrid workplace

In a distributed work environment, it can be a challenge to facilitate human connection. But it is critical to foster because of the success human connection drives for both employees and employers. A lack of connection to co-workers, especially in the remote and hybrid workplace, can lead to a decrease in employee productivity, happiness and engagement –– and an increase in turnover.

With remote and hybrid work here to stay, it's time to step up the way we forge human connection and activate the workforce by following these steps:

1. Build connection into every HR program or company initiative. From learning & development and onboarding programs to mentorship and DEI initiatives, placing an emphasis on building connection ensures important relationships for success are proactively built into every initiative and prioritized across all departments and teams.

2. Outline a personally relevant "why" behind every program, action or assignment. By providing this level of personalization, employees feel more motivated and engaged in their roles. It also enables workers to see a stronger connection between their work and the company's outcomes.

3. Opt for timely nudges to create deeper connections. When sharing information during critical points of an employee's journey –– like onboarding, returning from parental leave, becoming a new manager or switching teams –– do so at the time that it needs to be received. Timely nudges are more effective than sharing all information (pertinent or not) at once.

4. Ensure taking action and building connection is seamless. Any HR program or initiative involves many employees across a wide range of teams, so making it as easy as possible for everyone to take part is key. Automate reminders, facilitate introductions to new colleagues and ensure bonds between employees can be forged outside of work through team celebrations and other fun events.

Focus on your employees

To reduce turnover and spark motivation, you need to invest in your most important asset: your employees. The current distributed workplace has created an environment that lacks human connection, but you can revive it by placing the focus back on your employees and working to engage them — wherever and however they prefer to work.