Rehumanizing the Workplace: Future-Proofing Your Organization While Restoring Hope, Well-Being, and Performance

by Rosie Ward, Jon Robison

Overview

Imagine a world where everyone can come to work as their authentically human, best selves. They feel fulfilled, supported, and cared for and have meaningful, purposeful work. At the end of the workday, they are able to bring their best selves home, be fully present with their loved ones, tend to their well-being, and replenish their well.

This vision is possible. And it is desperately needed!

Our rapidly changing world is becoming increasingly complex and disruptive. And while it brings many opportunities for innovation, it also triggers people to operate from a place of scarcity and self-protection, leading to disconnection and eroding well-being—on both the organizational and individual level. As a result, workplaces have become increasingly dehumanized and are now the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. We have a humanity crisis on our hands!

The good news is that there is a revolution already underway where organizations are breaking the mold and finding success by honoring what it means to be human and putting people first. In fact, research continues to emerge showing that human-centered organizations significantly outperform those operating from a “business-as-usual” approach. And the really good news is that this shift to rehumanize workplaces doesn’t have to start with the C-suite—really! It helps but is not a deal-breaker. Culture ultimately resides at the local team level; and you can transform workplaces by focusing on one team at a time.

This book highlights how successful companies are thriving by putting people first. It details five key principles essential for rehumanizing workplaces; a framework to help restore hope, well-being, and performance; and tangible actions anyone can take to show up as a leader and influence positive change.

The paperback version is printed in color.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781950466146
Publisher:	CC Press
Publication date:	03/24/2020
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Rosie Ward is an energetic, passionate, and compassionate leader, consultant, coach, and author who focuses on transformation from the inside out. Her mission started nearly twenty years ago when she experienced firsthand the ill effects of working in a toxic work environment and found her well-being eroding. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to find a solution, so this experience is no longer the norm. She is sought after to help rehumanize workplaces so that people are freed, fueled, and inspired to bring their best selves to work-and home-each day.

Rosie serves as CEO and cofounder of Salveo Partners, LLC, a professional consulting and training company focused on equipping organizations to find success while putting people back at the forefront of their business. They focus on leveraging The Fusion (the inextricable interconnectedness of organizational and employee well-being) to help transform workplaces and support people in integrating their personal and professional lives. Her first book, How to Build a Thriving Culture at Work: Featuring the 7 Points of Transformation, coauthored with Jon Robison, has served as a blueprint for hundreds of organizations to break past old, outdated paradigms and rehumanize their workplace.

Rosie is a fierce advocate for humanity. In addition to consulting with organizations of all sizes and industries, coaching leaders, and developing a growing community of Paradigm Pioneers, she serves on the leadership team for the Twin Cities chapter of Conscious Capitalism. A lifelong learner, she continues to seek growth opportunities so she can help others break past barriers, step into their greatness, and show up as leaders in all areas of their lives. In addition to having a PhD and numerous certifications, Rosie was trained by Dr. Brené Brown as a certified Dare to LeadTM facilitator. She is often referred to as a "PhD with a personality," and is known for challenging and inspiring people to think differently about what it takes to become the best version of themselves and for organizations to foster their growth and development. She currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and son.

Jon Robison holds a doctorate in health education/exercise physiology and a master of science in human nutrition from Michigan State University. He has spent his career working to shift health promotion away from its traditional, biomedical, control-oriented focus, with a particular interest in why people do what they do and don't do what they don't do.

Jon has authored numerous articles and book chapters and is a frequent presenter at conferences throughout North America. He is coauthor of The Spirit and Science of Holistic Health: More Than Broccoli, Jogging, and Bottled Water, More Than Yoga, Herbs, and Meditation, a college textbook and a guidebook for practitioners who wish to incorporate holistic principles and practices into their work. This book provided the foundation for Kailo, one of the first truly holistic employee wellness programs. Kailo won prestigious awards in both Canada and the United States, and the creators lovingly claim Jon as its father.

Jon has been a national leader in the Health at Every Size® movement for more than two decades. He has implemented Health for Every Body®-a unique alternative to weight-loss programs at the worksite in over twenty cities across the United States in the past five years. His 2015 book, How to Build a Thriving Culture at Work: Featuring The 7 Points of Transformation, written with coconspirator Dr. Rosie Ward, gives organizations a realistic, step-by-step blueprint for transforming their cultures-"from the inside out." The book was selected by Employee Benefit News as one of the top reads for 2016.

Dr. Robison is cofounder of Salveo Partners-an expert consulting and professional development firm that guides organizations to create thriving workplace cultures, enhance organizational performance, and cultivate employee well-being. As a certified Intrinsic Coach®, Jon understands that behavior is the outward manifestation of thinking and feeling-and that behavior modification approaches that focus on extrinsic motivation rarely result in sustained change and, in fact, often inhibit intrinsic motivation.

Aside from his work, Jon's passions include his wife, Jerilyn; their son, Joshua; music; humor; and a twelve-pound living teddy bear named Ginger.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Raj Sisodia xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: The Dehumanized Reality 27

Chapter 2: The Future of Work 39

Chapter 3: How We Got So Stuck 67

Chapter 4: The Fusion: The Key to Rehumanizing Organizations 83

Chapter 5: Twenty-First-Century Organization Design 95

Chapter 6: Humanistic Culture 119

Chapter 7: Quality Leadership 147

Chapter 8: Purpose over Profit 191

Chapter 9: Trust, Connection, and Support 215

Chapter 10: Effective Communication 233

Chapter 11: Supportive Climate 259

Chapter 12: Well-Being Programs and Resources 281

Conclusion 307

Editorial Reviews

In Rehumanizing the Workplace, Rosie and Jon reinforce what every leader of today needs to know: people thrive in environments where they feel cared for, safe to create and innovate, and part of an organization’s shared purpose. Let this book guide you in building a team or company through which people have the opportunity to become their best selves!

Bob Chapman, author of Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller

Imagine a world in which you walk into work and feel safe. Imagine using words like compassion, purpose, and belonging to describe your culture. Imagine a workplace where you deeply trust the people around you.Rehumanizing the Workplace teaches us how to create this kind of world. It’s practical, actionable, and timely, and it will hit you straight in your heart. If you want to learn how to transform a culture regardless of the position you hold, this is the book for you.

Kristen Hadeed, founder of Student Maid and author of Permission to Screw Up

Rehumanizing the Workplace is a tour de force. It pulls extensively from the lineage of leadership and organizational research, thought, and practice leadership. It then distills all that into a very readable and practical guide for creating an organization fit for purpose in highly complex environments. It compellingly makes the case for a radically human workplace and for a more conscious approach to capitalism. If you want to create a workplace where people thrive, bring their best, and create amazing results, this book is well worth a read.

Bob Anderson, chairman of The Leadership Circle and coauthor of Mastering Leadership and Scaling Leadership

Rehumanizing the Workplace is an important and engaging guide to building workplaces that work in the modern world. Its five rehumanizing principles are compelling and actionable. Managers, consultants, and anyone else who wants to help organizations thrive should read this book immediately!

Amy C. Edmondson, professor at Harvard Business School and author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

Admit it. You’ve questioned (silently) whether a truly human workplace can be successful in the marketplace. Can kindness and capitalism coexist? Does purpose elevate profit? Can an entire organization of individuals—no bosses, no hierarchy—self-manage themselves into excellence? The answer: yes, yes, and yes. Rehumanizing the Workplace gives example after example of companies generating exceptional performance by prioritizing respect, trust, and meaning. Rich with ideas, richer with practical steps, it’s a worthwhile read. But beware, you might run out of reasons to avoid bringing more humanity into your own business.

Wendy Lynch, PhD, cofounder of The Heart of Human Capital blog and coauthor of Get to What Matters: Tools to Transform Conversations at Work

We know that work plays an increasingly vital role in our lives at the same time that the vast majority of people are unfulfilled and removed from their full potential at work. We are in need of new disruptive models that challenge our conventional thinking and instill a sense of humanity at work. Rehumanizing the Workplace is just that—a powerful blend of research, inspiration, and actionable steps for the changes our workforce needs. In their book, Rosie and Jon leave us without an excuse to make measurable progress in the movement to humanize work.

Arthur Woods, cofounder of Mathison

From the Publisher