“How can we actually humanize work?” asks Stephan Meier, a professor of business strategy at Columbia Business School and the author of The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive.
It’s not a rhetorical, but a huge real-time challenge that businesses everywhere are failing to answer. And you can see it everywhere—motivation is running low, teams feel out of sync, and workplaces are struggling to keep people truly engaged.
What’s missing? Stephan has spent years studying what really motivates people at work. And in his conversation with Kristina Mänd-Lakhiani on the Mindvalley Book Club, he reveals why most companies are getting it wrong—and what leaders can do to fix it.
Watch the full interview:
Why businesses keep getting employee engagement wrong, according to Stephan Meier
Businesses have spent years trying to crack the code on employee engagement. But according to Stephan, they keep missing the mark.
The biggest mistake? Thinking money is the ultimate motivator.
“It’s more than money,” Stephan explains. “Once you reach a certain level, [you’re] not getting out of bed in the morning and being jazzed because [you] make a little bit more.”
Leaders often separate employee motivation from the company’s strategy. They tend to treat it more as an HR issue—something separate from core business decisions like strategy, growth, and profitability.
When this happens, cracks can start to show. Some companies have learned this the hard way:
- Etsy prioritized perks over purpose, offering pottery classes and gourmet cafeterias while failing to align employees with a clear mission.
- Amazon emphasized relentless customer obsession but didn’t extend the same care to employees, leading to high turnover and burnout.
- United Airlines created a toxic work environment where employees had to constantly apologize for operational failures, damaging morale and engagement.
The result? Employees who check out, quiet quit, or walk away entirely.
People don’t leave organizations or jobs. They leave bosses.
It can be preventable, really. A Gallup study found that 42% of employees who voluntarily left their jobs believed their employer could have taken steps to stop them from leaving.
At the same time, businesses have embraced customer-centricity but haven’t applied that same mindset to employees. And with sites like Glassdoor and viral social media posts exposing bad workplaces, companies can’t ignore the employee experience anymore.
As the famous saying goes, “People don’t leave organizations or jobs. They leave bosses.”
The real reasons people stay engaged at work
“In order to humanize work, we obviously need to understand what actually motivates humans in the first place,” says Stephan.
The fact of the matter is, perks, customer obsession, or damage control don’t keep employees motivated if the work itself feels meaningless. What does make a difference?
- People want to feel like their work matters. A job isn’t just a paycheck; it’s a huge part of a person’s life. If employees feel like their contributions have no impact, disengagement is inevitable.
- Growth and development keep people engaged. Stagnation is one of the biggest engagement killers. Employees who aren’t learning, developing hard or soft skills, or progressing in their careers eventually check out.
- A strong company culture fosters connection. When there’s an environment where employees feel psychologically safe, supported, and part of something bigger, engagement levels rise.
According to Stephan, this is the future of work. “We are in a period where we can change the way we work into being in a more human-centric way,” he adds.
And with technology automating our workflows, having a more human-centric workplace—one that values employees as much as businesses have traditionally valued customers—is what makes businesses stronger, more innovative, and more successful in the long run.
Stephan Meier on how leaders can build a workplace people love to work in
Investing in your people is a competitive advantage, according to Stephan. Research even shows that happy employees are productive employees. One study examining the banking sector found that workplace happiness leads to better cross-selling performance.
In order to humanize work, we obviously need to understand what actually motivates humans in the first place.
— Stephan Meier, professor of business strategy at Columbia Business School and author of The Employee Advantage.
So, how do you create that kind of environment where your people feel motivated, committed, and eager to contribute? Stephan shares his top insights:
1. Give employees a sense of purpose
Fact: people want to know that their work contributes to something meaningful. Stephan points out that companies should create a direct link between employees’ daily tasks and the organization’s broader mission. Without this connection, work can feel transactional and that can reduce engagement and motivation.
“Just having a flashy mission statement is not cutting it—again, everybody can and
is doing that,” Stephan writes in The Employee Advantage. “The changes need to show dedication and be authentic.”
Companies that excel at this help employees see the impact of their roles. At Costco, for example, every employee understands that their work supports the company’s mission of delivering high-quality products at affordable prices.
A cashier isn’t just scanning items; they’re ensuring that members get the best deals without long wait times. A stock associate isn’t just unloading pallets; they’re making sure customers always find fresh produce and fully stocked essentials.
This is the kind of clarity that fosters a sense of ownership and pride. Not only that, but it turns everyday tasks into meaningful contributions that keep members coming back.
You, as the leader, can play a key role in helping your people find their purpose at work. This can be done through storytelling, celebrating employee contributions, and making company goals tangible.
When they see how their efforts support something larger—whether it’s improving lives, advancing innovation, or strengthening communities—they feel more invested in their work.
2. Make growth and learning a priority
When people have a clear path to develop their skills and advance in their careers, they feel more committed to their work. Promotions are one thing, but what truly matters is, according to Stephan, ongoing learning, skill-building, and the ability to take on new challenges.
Look at DHL, which, in 2009, invested $100 million into developing in-house training programs for all staff. This gave their employees a clear path to mastering new skills and advancing their careers. In turn, they became more confident in their roles, turnover decreased, and the company climbed to the top of the World’s Best Workplaces list and stayed there two years in a row.
But growth isn’t limited to formal training programs. You can encourage mentorship, cross-functional projects, and skill-stacking within teams.
Creating a culture of continuous learning makes your employees more adaptable, confident, and motivated. When they see that their development is a priority, they’re more likely to contribute their best work.
3. Listen to employees—and act on their feedback
“Turnover can be reduced if leaders really try to understand what motivates their employees or team members and act accordingly,” Stephan explains. That’s one reason companies like Amazon have been on blast—they don’t prioritize employee concerns or implement meaningful changes.
“The discrepancy between how Amazon cares about customers and how it treats its employees is striking,” he highlights. “If you study [Jeff] Bezos’s shareholder letters, you can see the starkly different emphasis placed on each stakeholder: He talked about customers five times more than his employees.”
There’s more to strong leadership skills than setting strategy. It also requires paying attention to employee input and responding in ways that foster credibility. A workplace where people know their voices matter strengthens morale and collaboration.
Like at Chipotle, employees were shown empathy, understanding, and respect. Leaders genuinely cared for their team members.
“You’ve got to love your people,” says Monty Moran, the former co-CEO of Chipotle. “Because when you love your people, they’ll say, ‘Hey, wait! This guy loves me. This guy can take me to a better place and is going to take me to a better place. I’m going to follow this leader.’”
So take cue from leaders like Monty. Create open channels where your employees can share concerns, ideas, and suggestions with confidence that you, as their leader, will consider them. This could be through regular one-on-one meetings, town halls, or anonymous feedback platforms.
When you take action on feedback, engagement increases. And you create a culture of shared contribution, which leads to stronger workplace commitment.
4. Use technology to enhance, not replace, human potential
AI and automation are changing workplaces, and how leaders use them matters. When done right, technology makes work easier, takes care of boring tasks, and lets employees focus on what really matters.
According to Stephan, technology can also bring more meaning and purpose to work. For example:
- Automation removes repetitive tasks. Employees who know how to learn AI can better adapt to automation and use it to enhance their work. It gives them more time for creative problem-solving, teamwork, and new ideas.
- Technology helps people stay connected. Digital tools make it easier for teams to work together, even from different locations. They also create more chances for mentorship and collaboration.
At the same time, Stephan warns about digital Taylorism, where companies use technology to watch and control employees. And we all know how micromanaging (even if it is through the data lingo) can hurt trust.
Instead, companies should use technology to help employees grow by matching them with the right opportunities and skills.
Fuel your mind
The best workplaces don’t happen by accident. They’re built by leaders who understand what truly drives people—purpose, growth, and a sense of belonging. Stephan Meier, in The Employee Advantage, lays out the blueprint for making it happen, showing how companies thrive when their people do.
If you’re ready for more big ideas that go beyond the obvious, join the Mindvalley Book Club. Every Monday, Kristina Mänd-Lakhiani and her team curate the boldest, most thought-provoking new releases, giving you a front-row seat to insights that challenge the status quo. Expect expert breakdowns, exclusive author interviews, and takeaways that actually stick.
And there’s more: the Mindvalley’s Book of the Year Awards just wrapped, and the winners are about to be revealed. Want to be the first to know? Join the club now…
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