More Human, Less Corporate in 2007

Time to warm-and-fuzzy-up your office—so tone down the corporate-speak and humanize the place where you spend most of your waking hours

by Liz Ryan

How are those New Year resolutions going? I know, you vowed to lose 10 pounds in 2007 and get to the gym more often. You and every other American over the age of 25.

You probably also made some work-related resolutions: to get a promotion, or take public transportation to work more often, or to find a way to meet the VP of marketing and let him know about your great idea for next year's product catalog.

These are great things to shoot for, and here's one that you can easily put into effect that could change things for you and your colleagues: Why not resolve to lighten up the boring, mechanical corporate atmosphere and add some spark, spunk, and human warmth to your workplace this year?

Most workplaces could stand to be a little less buttoned-down. And if you work at one that's really cheerless, I bet you've had a hard time with reentry after the holiday break. So go ahead and experiment with some steps that could make your workplace a bit more human in 2007.

Try these ideas to get your feet wet:

Talk To A Stranger

At one very large company I visited, I asked whether employees who don't know one another talk in the hallways, in the lunchroom, or in the elevator. "I tried starting a conversation with someone when I started here 10 years ago," said one woman. "Everyone looked at me like I was crazy." But talking to people—yes, even strangers—is a great thing to do, and culture change can start with just one person.

Next time you find yourself with one of those people you see all the time but don't know, why not say: "Gee, we must have passed each other a million times, but we've never been introduced—I'm Sandy James." If your workmate doesn't flee in terror, you may make a new work-friend and contact. Try this for a goal: Meet at least one new person a week in your workplace.

Ban The Corpspeak

Got your fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to start an e-mail with, "It has come to my attention?" Start over! You can help humanize your workplace by reducing, if not eliminating, tedious and clichéd corporate-speak in your written correspondence.

Instead of, "It has come to my attention," try "I just learned," or "Jane just told me," or "The red-headed guy on the loading dock mentioned." Other phrases to avoid: "I am in receipt of your memo," and "As you have no doubt been made aware."

Who talks like that in real life? Not you, I hope. And I bet not the people you're writing to.

Take 10 Seconds To…

• add a salutation ("Dear Ellen," "Hi, Pete!" or "Say, Eddie") to every e-mail message you write—and a closing ("Best, John.") Yes, I know that your recipient already knows the message came from you. It's these little touches that help you remember that your workmates are human beings much like you. And it also reminds your workmates that you know they're aren't robotic drones.

•offer to get coffee for one of your colleagues when you go to get your own. And while you're at it, take a few more seconds to learn who drinks tea.

•ask people about their weekend plans and actually listen to their answers, injecting appropriate comments. I know you're busy, but 10 seconds won't kill you.

If you've ever sat frustrated in a meeting because no one has introduced you to the group, make the resolution to introduce yourself the next time it happens. If there's a person you've heard is smart and interesting but who works halfway across the building, get up out of your chair and walk over there and meet him or her.

If your workplace is becoming (or has always been) a little too corporate for your taste, there's no time like the present to warm it up a bit. You may find that your humanizing efforts draw like-minded colleagues to your cause. It's a New Year—if not now, when?

Liz Ryan is an expert on the new-millennium workplace and a former Fortune 500 HR executive.