Written by: Izabela Puchala, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We all want to feel seen and heard, but the expectation to appear "professional" at work has suppressed these basic human needs for a long time. Thankfully, things are changing. Research into the future of work says 82% of employees want employers to see them as people, not just professionals. These findings confirm we are on the cusp of a new organizational development stage, encouraging us to reclaim our inner wholeness and bring all of who we are to work. My mission is to help organizations make that leap by applying relevant coaching and human-centric design resources.
Impact of human-centric work design
To feel seen means to experience a deep connection with others upon which trust is built. There's a sense the other person gets us. Research shows that productivity and retention rates increase over three times when leaders make their employees feel seen. Team members openly share mistakes and learnings and ask for coaching. Feeling seen helps them embrace constructive feedback as they trust the manager does not question their character and intentions. The discussion focuses on improving the impact of the employee's actions with both parts on the same wavelength.
On the other hand, if employees do not feel seen, leaders are likely to spend time clarifying misunderstandings, managing conflict, and struggling to communicate constructive feedback. When employees do not think their manager gets them, they tend to defend their actions upon receiving feedback, believing their character is under attack. For example, a manager asked an employee to collaborate more with less experienced team members. The employee got upset upon hearing his feedback as she heard it as an accusation of not caring enough about her colleagues. In reality, she had already been developing others despite a heavy workload. When the employee started to defend her reasons for dedicating time to other responsibilities, the manager got frustrated, taking it as a resistance to mentor others. The discussion turned into conflict even though both sides cared about the same thing.
Another employee escalated things to HR when his manager plainly stated there would be no raise, given the state of the market, despite original promises to correct his role-leveling mistake. In the employee's words, his trigger was not feeling seen by the manager. All he needed to hear was: "I know how long you've been waiting for this and how disappointing this news must be for you. I have seen how much effort you put into your work. I value you and everything you do for this team."
Application of the Wheel of Life
Building a deep connection with a team in a new hybrid environment is challenging and requires even more effort. One powerful coaching resource that can help is the Wheel of Life.
One of my amazing clients confirmed the tool is especially effective for expanding the review conversation beyond developmental feedback and compensation. When using the Wheel of Life during review conversations, my client saw a shift in his team members. They actively participated in designing their future work experiences instead of passively listening to the outcomes of the appraisal process. Even those who felt burnt out with work and life challenges left the meeting with a sense of hope and agency. This powerful tool helped them identify specific aspects of their life that needed improvement and design practical steps to drive positive change. Completing the activity with their manager made them feel seen as a person, not just a professional. It contributed to more trust, alignment, and ownership – which is essential to a satisfying work experience.
Instructions for the Wheel of Life
The Wheel of Life involves reflecting on how satisfied an employee is with eight aspects of their professional and personal life and assigning a score from 0-10.
Then, the employee shares the scores with their manager and selects one to three parts of the wheel where they want to see change. A lower score does not automatically mean a focal point. When making a choice, it is vital to consider both the score and weighting of each area. For example, we might be okay with Career Progression at 4 out of 10 because the flexibility to support our family is more important to improve our overall sense of well-being at this time. At the same time, another person will want to continue focusing on their Career Progression even though the score is high – 8 out of 10, to reach the executive level, as this is most important to them at this stage.
The final step involves the employee and manager brainstorming ideas to drive positive changes in the selected focus areas. For example, an employee with a newborn appreciated his manager suggesting projects requiring less travel to stay closer to the family. An employee whose mental health needed more attention developed a flexible work schedule with his manager to fit in self-care. By taking a holistic view of our circumstances, the Wheel of Life allows us to consciously create alignment between work and personal life, preventing burnout and increasing satisfaction.
In summary, embracing human-centric design and using coaching tools like the Wheel of Life will help leaders build trust, deepen the connection with the team and make employees feel seen as people, not just professionals. Creating alignment between professional and personal life will allow employees to show up more honestly and whole at work, which unsurprisingly leads to greater satisfaction and productivity.
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Izabela Puchala, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Izabela Puchala is an expert in leadership and organizational development. She has an MSc in Economics and a Postgraduate degree in Gestalt Psychotherapeutic Counseling. As a Certified Enneagram Coach, Izabela helps international and dispersed teams go from transactional and artificially harmonious culture to trust, cohesion, and fun. Her clients include the BBC, Salesforce, Planet Labs, and YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization).
