Baseball and Making Work Human

3-minute read

Baseball is back, but it has a different look and feel. The players taking the field signifies another step in the return to normalcy in the year of a global pandemic.

With baseball returning to Fenway, the usual reminders are missing. No pretzels, foot-longs, or kielbasa. The beer taps are dry, the BU and BC classrooms are empty, and there are no undergrads flooding down Lansdowne Street looking for bleacher tickets. And the Green Line has plenty of space.

Like many of our fellow workers across the globe, baseball players are heading into their “office,” the lush green outfield, the sweet-smelling dirt of the diamond, the intimacy of the dugout, the privacy of the clubhouse. But it’s quiet. And kind of weird.

At Workhuman^®, we share stories about the re-entry to the office. Our customers, like Merck, discuss strategies for keeping their teammates focused and into the game. Our speakers, like Jason Lauritsen, talk about the value of pulse surveys to stay connected and keep a healthy lineup. Our partners, like Steve Gross at Life is Good Playmakers, share how to communicate a return to normal to the children who have starred in our Zoom calls over the last few months. 

Whether you’re a teacher, a pharmacist, a hairdresser, or a software developer, you’re making plans to transition from the physical withdrawal from your colleagues and customers over the last few months into a new world, one where the goals are the same but the rules and protocol have changed.

This is not easy. 

To get a better understanding of how the current climate has impacted employee experience, Workhuman conducted a pulse survey of more than 3,000 full-time U.S. workers in early May across various industries. Their candid responses illustrate what is most important to workers right now and where organizations should focus attention for future initiatives.

Workers were asked how often they felt a sense of loneliness and isolation in the past two months since the pandemic began; 42% said they felt this way once a week or more often. And 10% of those workers said they felt lonely every day. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety have a significant economic impact, costing the global economy an estimated $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. For companies entering the transition phase, the key to driving engagement is to focus on programs that support social connection.

We feel strongly about sharing our customer stories and data with the world. We feel so strongly about this that we have partnered with the Red Sox to have the Workhuman logo on Fenway’s storied left-field wall, the Green Monster.

While the world grapples with this pandemic and starts making plans to head back into the office, forward-thinking leaders will focus on appreciation and connection – keeping employees motivated and engaged through the uncertainty.

Instead of going back to business as usual, stop and consider the truth about the future of work that has always been there: Inspired human connection is what really makes things happen.

Play ball!

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About the Author

Dan Miller is the director of content marketing for Workhuman.

More Content by Dan Miller