“We are living through a paradox of connectivity without connection." That's Anne McKeough's sharp observation in her new Forbes piece, "Connection is the Most Undervalued Competitive Advantage in Business Today", and it captures the central challenge facing contact center leaders right now.
Her perspective comes from leading volunteer engagement at the American Red Cross , where 90% of their 300,000+ workforce are volunteers who "rise to meet urgent needs— working around the clock, often under immense pressure— driven by purpose, partnership and pride.”
This paradox is becoming acute in contact centers, ground zero for AI experimentation and implementation. We know that as AI deflects routine interactions and automation reshapes workflows, the human interactions that remain are more complex, more emotionally demanding, and require stronger support systems. Yet many organizations are investing heavily in AI technology while their employee engagement strategies remain unchanged or, worse, nonexistent.
The timing matters. Gallup reports that only 21% of employees strongly trust organizational leadership. Contact center attrition often exceeds 100% annually. And as AI anxiety grows among frontline workers wondering about their future, the cost of getting employee engagement wrong has never been higher.
The returns of getting it right are compelling. Organizations with highly engaged workforces see 23% higher profitability, 10% higher customer ratings, and significantly lower turnover. In an AI-driven era where workforce stability becomes your primary competitive advantage, connection isn't nice-to-have, but essential to success.
McKeough's focus on volunteering as a connection-builder is backed by solid evidence. The shared experience of giving back creates bonds that "can't be replicated in a status meeting." Teams working together for something beyond quarterly targets discover a different kind of cohesion, one built on shared purpose rather than shared obligations.
What I appreciate most about her article is that she's identified one proven, tangible, and actionable pathway among many for building the workplace connections that drive retention, engagement, and business results.
Volunteering programs. Mentorship initiatives. Cross-functional collaboration. Gamification strategies. Employee resource groups. Career development programs. Workforce recognition systems. Each represents a legitimate ingredient in the recipe for organizational connection.
The key isn't picking the "perfect" single component. It's evaluating your current formula, perhaps even approach, determining what's working, what's missing, what could use more emphasis, and designing a mix that aligns with your values and culture. Maybe you're already doing several things well and just need to turn up the heat on one. Maybe you need to reimagine the entire plan from the ground up.
As we head into 2026, the organizations that thrive won't be the ones with the most sophisticated AI, but the ones who figure out how to keep their human workforce engaged, connected, and committed while AI transforms the work itself.
What if this became the year contact center and CX leaders took a hard look at their connection strategy? Not to add one more initiative to the pile, but to thoughtfully craft (or refresh, initiate) the mix of approaches that will genuinely strengthen the bonds driving engagement, retention, and business results in your specific culture.
I'm always here to assist with this sort of conversation, so message me if an open ear and mind might be helpful. Thanks, Anne McKeough , for a perfect year-end message! And Happy Holidays to All!!! 🎄
