Author and former Neiman Marcus exec Steve Dennis shows how to lean into the value of human connection to reengage staff.

The workforce is changing. From cashier to coder to car salesman, all are reassessing priorities, courtesy of Covid-19.

Stalled job searches resumed with a vengeance in 2021 and experts predict that job-hopping will only rise in coming months. Some 52% of workers hope to change jobs this year, up from 35% in 2020, reports the Achievers Workforce Institute. Workers reflected on what matters and decided they want what the pandemic cruelly stole: connection.

“Most people have a greater appreciation for the value of connection and human interaction,” says Steve Dennis, president of SageBerry Consulting and author of “Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Digital Disruption.”

That sense of belonging is lacking; 46% of workers say they feel less connected at work today than prior to the coronavirus pandemic and they’ll seek employment elsewhere as a result. Replacing employees lost to greener pastures is costly: $3,500 for $8/$10 hourly wage earners or up to 33% of annual salary.

Dennis, the former Neiman Marcus chief strategy officer, helps brands craft strategy and stay abreast of trends via his “Remarkable Retail” podcast featuring A-list guests from Starbucks, Best Buy, media, and more. Here, EB asks this expert how best to get employees to reengage, reconnect, and perform at their best.

FLEX MUSCLES OF EMPATHY AND VULNERABILITY

To create connection, learn the “love language” of employees, what makes each feel valued, Dennis says. For some, it’s financial compensation; for others it’s words of affirmation.

Treat employees differently—not inequitably—by tuning in to what makes each one tick, or get ticked off. This takes empathy, and not everyone has it. “The best leaders really do listen and they probe for understanding,” Dennis says.

He admits he lacked empathy until he fixed that with therapy.

“Most of my jobs were managing people and I was taught, ‘Don’t ever let them see you sweat.’ It’s all about the numbers and left brain. Logical science as opposed to connection, vulnerability, and empathy. Sometimes we have to admit, which is the vulnerability part, that we may not know what we are doing.

“Being emotionally connected and human-centered in the way you manage is important,” he shares, citing one of the eight essentials of remarkable retail covered in his book.

LOOK FOR, THEN LOSE, THE FRICTION

“Try to understand where people on your team are coming from, what’s important to them, and respond to that as best you can.” This can be as simple as mitigating points of friction and low-value activities like excess paperwork.

Dennis says employers may think they know how the workday flows, based on their own experience years ago, but much has changed and they may be blind to simple ways to ease friction.

“One of the advantages of having great employee relations is you naturally become a preferred employer. If you create a good environment, you get to select the best employees, and that results in better customer service.”