Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023 - 61

CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
JULIE WINKLE
GIULIONI
3 BIRDS, 1 SCONE: BUILDING CONNECTION IN
THE WORKPLACE
Even as a child, I remember being
horrified at the phrase, " killing two
birds with one stone. " The otherwise
gentle people in my life took on sinister
personas when discussing matters of
efficiency. So, imagine my delight when
shortly after entering the workforce, a
British colleague introduced the kinder
and gentler alternative, " feeding two
birds with one scone. "
In today's pressure-filled, fast-paced
workplace, we tend to relish our
" scones " - the singular actions that
deliver multiple benefits. And for
those in learning and development,
a particularly tasty and useful one is
connection - because connection
feeds some of the most important and
hungry birds in business, including
learning, mental health and the clock.
CONNECTION FEEDS LEARNING
It's not news that humans learn an
extraordinary amount of what they need
to know when they connect with others.
Social learning has long been recognized
as a powerful alternative and complement
to the traditional classroom. Formalized
vehicles like rotations, job shadowing,
coaching and mentoring all leverage
connection for targeted personal and
professional development.
It wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic
introduced remote work on a broad
scale that we fully understood the
power of osmosis at the office.
That's why many hybrid and remote
organizations are placing greater
emphasis
on
the human side of
onboarding, elevating the quality of
one-on-one conversations, creating
communications channels related to
non-work topics, establishing buddy
systems and encouraging digitally
supported co-working. These strategies
offer the structure necessary to create
what occurs organically when colocated.
SOCIAL CONNECTION
ELEVATES RESILIENCE
AND REDUCES STRESS
AND BURNOUT.
CONNECTION FEEDS WELL-BEING
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic,
the United States was experiencing
a devastating epidemic - one of
loneliness.
Social disconnection has physiological
implications, affecting
such things
as blood pressure, immunity and
inflammation. It even represents as great
a health risk as obesity, physical inactivity
and smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day.
The flip side of this, however, paints a
more hopeful picture. Employees with
a sense of connection are likely to
enjoy greater motivation, engagement
and productivity. (They're also inclined
to stick around longer.) Research
suggests that social connection elevates
resilience, reduces stress, and in turn
burnout, one of today's most pressing
workplace concerns. All of which makes
connection an effective and costeffective
tool for organizations looking
to improve well-being.
CONNECTION FEEDS THE CLOCK
Escalating expectations continually
bump up against lack of staffing,
spreading employees in many sectors
exceedingly thin. No wonder we
hear " busy, " " lack of bandwidth, "
and " over-extended " so frequently.
As counterintuitive as it seems,
connection might be the answer here,
too. Research suggests that " spending
time on others increases one's feeling
of time affluence. " When compared
with other ways to spend time,
connecting with others left those in this
study with the subjective impression
of more time. Does time seem to go
by more quickly when immersed in
conversation? Do we feel uplifted and
energized after engaging with others?
Does social support from colleagues
leave us feeling more capable?
Whatever the mechanism, there
seems to be an argument even for
the most time-starved among us to
engage in dialogue, offer to coach or
mentor others or agree to attend that
problem-solving meeting. Because
connection feeds the clock by creating
the impression of more hours in
the day.
If you want to drive learning, well-being
and a greater sense of time affluence,
consider the scone of connection -
a strategy that will nourish employees,
the organization and yourself.
Julie Winkle Giulioni is the author of the
bestselling books, " Promotions Are SO
Yesterday " and " Help Them Grow or
Watch Them Go. " Email Julie.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - FALL 2023 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023

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