Your Weekly Report on Being a Human at Work

CAUTION: This email originated from within an organization that recognizes people as more than “human capital.” Please proceed with authenticity.

Dear Team,

Please reply to this email with approximately 5 bullets on how you contribute to our workplace, not just through output, but because of who you are.

Consider including:

•  A moment when you helped someone else succeed
•  A decision where you prioritized long-term trust over short-term speed
•  A time when you brought creativity, emotional agility, or collaboration to a challenge
•  A way in which you made work feel more human—for yourself or someone else
•  Something you learned that made you better, not just busier

Please do not send jargon, empty metrics, or proof of working 100-hour weeks. These are not valid indicators of impact.

Deadline: Whenever this reflection is most meaningful for you. Thank you for bringing your full self to work. 

The best workplaces don’t just measure what you do—they recognize who you are.

With courage, curiosity, and actual humanity,

[Your Manager]

This newsletter is a different format from the one I usually send. What prompted it? Recently, an email was sent to millions in the federal workforce asking them to account for their output in 5 bullets. I think a lot about the difference between a culture that promotes human doing versus human being, so I wanted to offer this as an alternative. It’s the kind of email many of us would love to get—so why not just send it to ourselves?

When we evaluate people solely based on what they do, we move away from a human-first culture.

And as task-based output becomes more easily automated by AI, it is these uniquely human capacities that will predict which organizations truly adapt and thrive. What’s on your 5 bullet  “Being Human at Work” (or Life?) report?