Conversation between Mich Goh, Head of Public Policy at Airbnb and Dorothy Yiu, Co-founder at EngageRocket

Conversation summary

There is a growing desire to create workplaces that are “more human.” Creating a more human workplace ultimately leads to improved customer service, better employee well-being, and productivity.

In this conversation with Mich Goh and Dorothy Yiu, we address how leaders can create an environment that brings people together.

Key learnings and best practices 

What does an attractive culture look like and how has Airbnb ensured employees have psychological safety?

• Airbnb creates a culture where everyone is welcome and voices are heard. With diversity, equity, and inclusion equality playing a significant role in the hiring process, the organization supports its employees to achieve a high workplace belonging.

• Being invested in ensuring employees have psychological safety in the workplace, Airbnb offers workshops for its employees to understand and overcome unconscious bias. Training and workshops are tailored for different roles.

• Managers set the tone for psychological safety and they play a big role in where employees should feel safe for saying what they say.

How can leaders and managers create a greater human connection with employees to foster a sense of belonging?

• In the current hybrid environment, it is even more important for leaders and managers to make a huge amount of effort to foster connection because it can be incredibly isolating for some employees who are based in different locations or maybe onboarded remotely compared to those who came from work from office environment. Leaders and managers have to make intentional efforts to draw closer team bond such as helping team members share more about what they’re doing and how they’re feeling about work.

• Small talks, banter, and jokes were the small things that glued people together before covid and this helped people to feel a greater sense of belonging. This idea can be extended even if we’re working in a hybrid environment.

• One way that leaders can reconnect with teams is by supporting employees to introduce any elements of their life into any conversations they have virtually. For example, introducing their children to colleagues while in meetings.

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