We are witnessing an employment renaissance, as employers and employees alike are awakening to the different possibilities and evaluating what is most important in the ever-evolving world of work. This shift is changing workers’ expectations, putting far more weight on an environment that fosters belonging and provides meaningful work that satisfies their need to achieve wholeness. For employers, there is more pressure than ever before to live up to employees seeking more in their work lives.

What factors are causing us to seek a change? Could it be lack of career development, pay, flexibility or paid time off? Or is it the overdrive of technological innovation, rampant stress, normalization of e-attendance and social atrophy that make fostering a hybrid or virtual culture all the more challenging?

As an industry, we are uniquely positioned to add value and be a bridge toward understanding as people go through this important realignment in work life. Here’s what it takes to adopt a human-centered and empathetic approach.

Two-customer model. The antidote to the “Big Quit” is the two-customer model. The best interests of your consultants/temporary workers are the same as our clients’: to enact real positive change through listening and fostering genuine relationships.

A safe harbor for your people. For the consultant or contract employee, it’s about being more than a business partner. It’s about being a career partner that advocates for your consultants’ needs and wants. Being a team that genuinely cares about their career aspirations and takes the time to truly understand. It’s about being a safe harbor while they examine their priorities. Think beyond revenue, as the real goal is a happy and engaged workforce. Give more to your people. Don’t just make the placement, pull up your anchor and sail away.

A mirror to your clients. Insight Global strives to be a staffing partner that transcends simply placing the best talent. Enterprise clients need a team that can communicate expectations openly and honestly, and a partner who gives them confidence that their contingent workforce is committed to the shared objective. Someone who can provide insights into retention strategies and who holds up a mirror that could curb unexpected negative attrition.

Shared mission. Invite your consultants and your clients to share in your mission. After all, they’re the heart of it. It’s why we specifically do what we do! The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed. To take care of each other, to ensure everyone knows that they matter, that they are heard, that they are valued and that everyone can bring their whole selves to work. I encourage you to amplify your shared goals and unify your organization around that mission.

Ask and listen, consistently. Understanding consultants’ needs begins with the question, “What can I do?” All too often, staffing professionals hesitate or shy away from checking in with their people out of fear of not having all the answers. Whether they tell you their struggles or not doesn’t change where they are in life, though. And if you don’t know, you are missing the opportunity to build compassion, support and trust.

In my experience, these elements will set us on the path to building that bridge of understanding. Our careers are the most prominent journeys of our lives. And it’s important to actively practice compassion; compassion means enduring something with someone. If we have learned anything over the past year, it’s that employment can no longer be just about the deliverable. Life isn’t simply about achieving an outcome; we’re emotional beings. If you sever that connection, everything that follows is transactional. We all must practice these values, not just profess them.

As a mother of a young son and another on the way, I am so hopeful. This awakening is fueling our team and others to make a change. Together, we can amplify human connection, accelerate this revitalization of work in our lives and shepherd in a new era, a better workplace for all.