In a conversation I had with Alight in 2024, they mentioned the concept of “employees wanting an audience of one.”
Whether you work onsite, hybrid, or remotely, employees often crave something deeper than recognition—they seek understanding. This is especially true when problems arise.
But what does it mean to be an “audience of one”? A big part of this is personalized acknowledgment and recognition of you as more than a role, KPIs, or an opportunity for profit. There should be some sort of acceptance that the people in organizations need a personal connection to some degree, especially when it comes to compensation, benefits, time off, and well-being since these things all impact people outside of work, especially if that worker has a family or dependents.
Moreover, people are increasingly being used to personalized experiences. Whether it’s through Amazon knowing what you may want to buy or Spotify knowing what you might want to hear next, there’s a (potentially unreasonable) assumption that our human interactions should go the same way.
A single person does not have the capacity to remember all of the issues related to an employee’s workplace well-being, compensation, performance, and more. Whether through paper-based or digital systems, managers have always relied on accurate notes that are quickly accessible to inform these conversations. This is why if you want to maintain a human touch in these interactions, you need to have the right data and technology infrastructure, such as Engagedly, CoachHub, Dayforce WFM, and Betterworks, so a manager can quickly and accurately inform the conversation they are about to have with an employee.
In the end, when employees feel valued as individuals, they are more engaged, motivated, and connected to their organization’s mission. This doesn’t necessarily mean grand gestures; it can be as simple as asking, “What do you need to succeed?” or taking a moment to celebrate personal wins. Reliability and consistency in the long term are more important than grand gestures.
Let’s shift the focus from managing teams to truly leading individuals. When we become that audience of one, we unlock the full potential of our people and our organizations.
How are you creating moments of personal connection with your team?
If so, what technology are you using to do so?
What is missing on the market that could make this easier for you?