Let’s build on the positives that have emerged from the last 12 months and make our human side continue to be part of what makes businesses great!

Bring your human to work

03/03/2021 20:00:16
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Show your human side at workNoisy kids, cute pets (we can’t get enough of them), doorbells, unintentional cat filters, pristine backdrops, untidy backdrops, cd collections, full bookshelves, bold wallpaper choices. We are getting such a privileged insight into other peoples’ lifestyles through remote working and we are reminded that, despite our *clears throat* best attempts to remain professional, we are all human!

Seeing each other in our ‘natural habitats’ on video calls has been one of the better things to come out of lockdown.

By now, many of us have given up with the pretence that everything is as serene as it would be in an office and allowed the shiny veneer to be replaced with a double helping of reality.

Of being a human.

Being human and being credible


Last month, our PR trends post touched on some of ways in which we are showing more of our human side, and how humanising key spokespeople is making leaders more accessible. But there's more we can consciously do and start to embed in the ways we communicate and connect. Here are a few suggestions on how you can bring your human to work and help build credibility:
 
  1. Visibility: Show up. Record some to-camera/one-take videos. You don’t need to aim for perfection. Show empathy, share experiences, share knowledge. 
  2. Team profiles: Show off your team in a series of interviews. Undoubtedly, they are your best asset and there will always be one person who has a surprising interest or talent. Pop them on your website and show the world how great you all are.  
  3. Build connections: Humans do not thrive on isolation. Get better connected. Whether that’s making an effort to speak to people more often or making connections on LinkedIn. 
  4. Use open language: Be gone corporate jargon and meaningless fluff. Unleash your straight-talking persona. Entice people to chat and share back.
  5. Be honest: Show it how it is. You’ll be surprised how people react.
  6. Show us your pets! It’s unlikely to help build credibility (never work with children or animals so the saying goes) but they make great talking points and can help break the ice. 

People do business with people


And when we do all eventually return to our places of work with full workforces and without social distancing, let’s not leave our human at home. Let’s build on the positives that have emerged from the last 12 months and make our human side continue to be part of what makes businesses great! After all, people do business with people they like and trust.