Why human connection, emotional understanding and a human-centred approach are essential for sustainable psychological health at work
By Natalie Schürmann
In our increasingly fast-paced, AI-accelerated and individualised world, human connection, relationship skills and emotional savviness will become not only essential leadership skills but a necessity for creating sustainable, psychologically healthy work cultures. Mastering the skills to strengthen our own mental, emotional and psychological health, as well as that of those we lead, has never been more crucial.
As AI transforms what we can do, the human skills of self-regulation, connection, emotional intelligence and being relational become our greatest competitive advantage when it comes to building and maintaining a psychological healthy work environment.
The faster the world becomes, the more important our ability to slow down, connect and to relate becomes. Progress, whether in the form of technology or other, lives in permanent tension between a beneficial evolutionary gain for the future and at the same time a sense of ‘loss’ of what was our perceived ‘safe’ previously known reality. Often this loss can come disguised as fear (anxiety), or nostalgic longing for what we cherished before and missing what no longer is (sadness) but often these emotions are not consciously perceived.
In evolutionary terms, modernity has brought enormous progress in individual autonomy. Industrialisation, urbanisation, medicine, transportation and digital technology mean that we can increasingly live independently of our immediate communities. We can order food, call a doctor, transfer money, work remotely, communicate with someone thousands of kilometres away, or arrange care without necessarily depending on the people physically around us. Yet this independence comes at a cost: a loss of proximity—both physical and emotional—which threatens our primal need for connection, closeness, support and psychological safety, needs that are deeply wired within us.
At the same time, the speed at which AI, rising global unpredictability and economic volatility are transforming the world of work is challenging many things we have come to rely on: our sense of purpose and identity, perceived job security and clarity, competence and relevance, autonomy, psychological safety and ultimately our sense of self in the world. Many of these are rooted in the basic emotional needs we developed during childhood, yet as adults they remain fundamental to our wellbeing and fulfilment. Experiencing consistent and predictable emotional support, protection, interpersonal connection and trust in one’s ability to perform are examples of core needs that remain essential in adulthood to function at our best (Young et al., 2003).
When these needs are disrupted over prolonged periods—whether by increasingly AI-driven ways of working, constant changes in work conditions or expectations, a lack of clear communication, an absent, stressed, overworked or unemphatic manager, or colleagues who lack the time, presence, empathy or understanding to provide support—they can adversely affect our sense of trust and psychological safety, consequently impacting mental health. When coupled with implicit expectations to adapt to new ways of working faster than an organisation can provide the necessary education, support or clarity, stress, anxiety or disengagement can quickly follow.
According to the ILO (2026) workers-related psychosocial risk represents a major and growing thereat to employee’s sense of safety and mental health, organisational productivity and broader economic performance.
The World Economic Forum found that 38% of workers are at risk of mental-health issues, while more than 65% are experiencing burnout. This suggests that rising mental-health concerns are becoming an increasingly important issue within the workplace. The good news is that looking towards 2030, the WEF identifies employee health and well-being as a major priority, with 64% of employers believing that supporting employee well-being will help improve talent availability.
So, what practical steps can be taken to protect and strengthen employees’ mental, emotional and psychological well-being in the workplace?
In our work at Ground to Flow, we work with individuals and organisations across a multitude of sectors: private, international public and multilateral. For psychological safety and emotional and mental health to exist and be sustained, organisations need to adopt a multifaceted approach. Building on established psychological, leadership and organisational development frameworks (Bowen, 1978; Laloux, 2014; Schein, 1985), our 3-level Psychological Well-Being Model (Ground to Flow, 2025) provides the foundation for an organisational climate of mental health across three levels: the individual, leadership and organisation.
As mentioned before, emotional connection is core to mental and psychological health. At the heart of this is our ability to develop emotional awareness and literacy, which at Ground to Flow we have coined as emotional savviness. Unlike emotional intelligence, emotional savviness refers to the awareness, understanding, articulation and management of the emotions we feel and how we act upon them. Stress occurs when individuals perceive an imbalance between demands and their capacity to cope. Learning to manage emotions healthily—not by avoiding or suppressing them, but by recognising them and responding intentionally rather than automatically—increases our capacity to cope.
Increasing our coping capacity and skills reduces stress, allowing us to better connect with ourselves and others. For example, if a manager’s trigger is increased workload, they may start to feel anxious, which in turn makes them work longer hours and become less accessible to their team, unable to listen and emotionally connect with team members. As mentioned earlier, as human beings we need emotional support and connection; without it, our mental well-being suffers. The team members of the manager in this example may feel neglected, isolated and unsupported, increasing their stress and anxiety due to the perceived lack of support and clarity from their manager.
Over time, this sustained work-related stress will further influence workplace behaviour and relationships, as increased stress can lead to interpersonal conflict and disconnection. This scenario happens in many organisations and is worsening with the increased speed and expectations associated with our changing world. It also means that it shakes the potential for a solid psychologically healthy workplace. Learning emotional savviness is therefore important for 1: the individual employee 2: the manager and 3: the organisation to maintain connection, relationship quality and psychological safety. Our G2F research and work with organisations, individuals and leaders have shown that all 3 levels are foundational to a mentally healthy workplace. This is where our 3-level Psychological Well-Being Model ™ is targeting the education, practice and embedding of a systematic mental health practice framework for the organisation and organisational climate. Each level is associated with a set of skills and behaviours, which can be learned, applied and practiced. (see Figure 1)
Learning to recognise our own triggers and emotions, first and foremost, and managing them appropriately means we are better equipped to encourage others to articulate theirs. This fosters a psychologically safe environment where open dialogue, listening and communication can lead to a more human-centred, healthier workplace for everyone in the organisation.
Figure 1- 3 - Level Psychological Well-Being Model™ & Emotional Connection
(Natalie Schürmann, G2F 2026)
| Level | Connection to | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Individual | Self | Emotional self-awareness; emotional regulation; taking care of self |
| 2. Leadership | Others | Emotional presence: reading emotions of others, care taking of team members; colleagues |
| 3. System / Organisation | Organisation & Environment | Emotional systems presence: care taking amongst peers, community, society |
EMOTIONAL SAVVINESS
Emotional Awareness → Emotional Regulation → Emotional Caretaking
Natalie Schürmann is the Founder of Ground to Flow a psychological health education consulting, which offers bespoke psychological well-being coaching, training and leadership development services. Natalie is a multilingual occupational psychologist, psychotherapist, group facilitator and certified leadership coach. Alongside co-founder Christophe Cheval, a leading behavioural change & recovery coach as well as psychotherapist, G2F supports organisations, leaders and individuals to improve human-centred leadership & psychological health at and outside the workplace