Organizations are facing uncertain times with ongoing tariff battles in a growing global economy. There is a growing change in the worker’s expectations from their organizations and leaders. There is an increase in a multi-generational and multi-cultural workforce while DEI initiatives are under attack. AI is front and center and many human capital-focused conferences like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Association for Talent Development (ATD) among others have been highlighting the growth and implications for today’s and tomorrow’s workplace. There is a growing skills shortage which will increase the competition for the workers and interpersonal skills are seen as an imperative for future success.
This leads to the need for improved, engaged, human focused organizations and their leaders. This will increase the need for organizations to become a more human intelligent (HI) workplace which is defined below.
HI Workplace includes effective leadership behaviors that create an organizational culture that workers experience is to be engaged while collaborating with a diverse team. The workforce feels psychologically safe, listened to, and understood by leaders. The workforce finds satisfaction with their work and organization.
These will be important for the following reasons:
- 8 out of 10 employees see well-being as important as pay.
- There is a growing need from the workers for meaning, purpose, and happiness at work.
- Workers are looking for appreciation and care from their managers.
- More are preferring remote, hybrid work, or 4-day work week.
Bottom line workers expectations are changing, and yet many organizations are not keeping up.
We know that toxic workplaces lead to higher turnover and impact the workers through lack of sleep and unhealthy eating habits. That employee engagement is at a 10-year low (Gallup, 2025). We also know that disengagement impacts absenteeism, accidents, productivity, profitability, and lack of loyalty among others costing a $7 trillion loss in productivity. For too many, the most stressful part of their work is their boss. Managers have a bigger impact on their employee’s health than their doctors. This is probably why increased stress in the workplace is costing $500 billion in losses.
But this is not just about the workforce. There are implications for those in management especially when is estimated that 60% of those in management are not trained. The “Great Flattening” is also taking place which is the elimination of middle management ranks. Several if not all of these factors might be why more than 30% of the workforce is willing to give up a pay raise to see their boss fired.
It is estimated that those in today’s workplace will spend an estimated 90,000 hours in their adult at work. Because of these challenges there are organizations focusing on their workforce and trying to do the right thing. Organizations that have been cited as “Great Place to Work” tend to experience 8.5x greater revenue per employee.
So what are organizations to do? For starters they might begin with focusing on creating a psychologically safe place to work. Working with those in the organizations, from leaders through the workforce to identify changes that will have a positive impact on the organizational culture and create a great workplace experience.
Organizations need to ensure the development of their leaders so they may play a more central and positive role in the changes. Helping them understand their role as a celebrity, where everyone is watching what they do and say. Helping them in managing their stress so they can help their workforce. Helping them to create healthy team dynamics and in turn a positive organizational culture.
In the book, “The Human-Centered Workplace”, the author highlights how a supportive work culture leads to fewer interpersonal conflicts, less sick time, greater work satisfaction, and friendlier and more empathetic customer service. In summary, leaders create culture, which drive behaviors, and in turn, behaviors produce results.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Edwin Mourin᷁o – Ruiz, Ph.D.
Dr. Edwin Mouriño is an Air Force veteran, author, Human Capital, and DEI practitioner and speaker. As a human capital practitioner, Dr. Mouriño’s focus has been on helping leaders and organizations help themselves. He is an experienced professional with many years of leading and/or supporting key elements of organizational change projects. Dr. Mouriño is an Air Force veteran who began his career in Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as a graduate of the DOD-Defense Equal Opportunity & Management Institute (DEOMI) and has also been a speaker.
He brings broad industry experience that includes Fortune 100 companies. He is the founder and president of Human Intelligent (HI) Workplace, an organization focused on helping leaders help themselves through leadership, team development, and executive coaching. He has been and continues to serve as a college professor. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Conference Board on the DEI and Leadership Steering Committees.
He has extensive experience and thought leadership on Human Capital issues and supported organizational change efforts through Leadership Development, DEI, Executive Coaching, Team Development, Executive Retreats, Personality Assessments, and Organizational Change. He has spoken at numerous professional venues and written numerous articles on human capital trends impacting organizations, specifically addressing DE, and is the author and co-editor of several books.
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