As an executive coach working across sectors and leadership levels, I’ve seen one truth play out again and again: life and work collide, often in ways our systems aren't built to manage.
Caring for a parent. Coping with burnout. Grieving. Starting over. Navigating AI. These aren’t side notes. They’re leadership realities. And too often, the tools we use at work fail to support people through them.
When personal life events and workplace systems don’t align, the cost is disengagement, attrition, and silence. This is what it often looks like.
That’s why I developed the Inner Reach Growth Framework™ to help leaders and organisations respond with clarity, compassion, and impact in those collision moments. My work centres on building cultures where people and businesses grow stronger – together.
This article explores how we can bring that same mindset into the way we design and deploy technology. If we want better performance, retention, and inclusion, we need to centre human flourishing in every tech decision we make.
It isn’t about soft benefits or wellbeing slogans. It’s about creating the conditions where people can:
When life and work collide, flourishing means people are supported, not sidelined, by the systems around them, including technology.
Why This Matters for Performance
According to Gallup, disengaged employees cost organisations up to 34% of their salary. CIPD and Deloitte link spikes in attrition and absenteeism to personal life stressors that workplaces often overlook. We know from CIPD and Deloitte that attrition, absenteeism, and exclusion are deeply connected to moments of personal disruption.
So, here’s the question: Will your tech and systems support people when it matters most or silence them?
When Life and Work Collide, Tech Must Meet Us There
The future of work isn’t a debate about remote vs office, or human vs machine. It’s about designing systems, including tech, which adapt to how people actually live and work.
We know from Gallup that disengaged employees cost organisations up to 34% of their salary. We know from CIPD and Deloitte that attrition, absenteeism, and exclusion are deeply connected to moments of personal disruption.
So, when life and work collide, the question is: Will your technology support people or silence them? What Human-Centered Tech Looks Like in Practice
When done right, tech enhances human experience:
When done poorly, it does the opposite:
Five Practical Shifts for Managers and Leaders
Don’t default to monitoring tools. Instead, invest in systems that build trust, support flexible working, and clarify expectations; giving people the autonomy to deliver in ways that work for them.
For example, replace passive monitoring with outcome-based check-ins that focus on progress, blockers, and support needs; not screen time or activity tracking.
Your team members are navigating life such as caregiving, health changes, grief, or personal transitions. Make sure the tech you use accounts for this — not just job titles.
For example, choose systems that enable flexible scheduling or tailored leave options, so someone caring for a parent isn’t treated the same as someone with no dependents just because they share the same role title.
Don’t stop at data. Use it to spark meaningful conversations across roles, identities, and life stages.
For example, instead of simply reviewing engagement scores in isolation, use them to open up team conversations: What’s working well? Where are people feeling stretched? What’s getting in the way of their growth or wellbeing right now?
Ask smart questions before adopting new platforms: Who was this built for? Who might it exclude? Who had a voice in shaping it? Who still needs a voice?
For example, before rolling out a new communication or performance system, involve team members with different access needs, cultural backgrounds, and life circumstances, not just senior leaders, or technical users. You’ll surface hidden barriers and avoid reinforcing exclusion through design.
Technology can’t replace emotional intelligence. But you can invest in your team’s ability to lead human moments well.
For example, when introducing tools like automated feedback or wellbeing check-ins, ensure managers are equipped to follow up with empathy, not just analysis. A conversation after a red flag can make the difference between someone staying or silently disengaging.
Why does this matter?
When you focus on people, you strengthen performance. And when life and work collide, that’s exactly what’s needed.
From Equality to Equity to Flourishing
As leadership expert and author Jenny Garrett OBE reminds us in her book “Equality vs Equity: Tackling Issues of Race in the Workplace”:
“Equality is giving everyone the same shoes. Equity is giving everyone shoes that fit.”
But human flourishing goes one step further. It asks: Are the conditions right for people to feel safe, lead confidently, and grow here at all? Technology alone won’t answer that. But it can help you listen differently, see patterns you’ve missed, and design with real lives in mind, especially when life and work collide.
Because when we design with those moments in mind, we don’t just reduce risk. We build succession pipelines, retention strategies, and leadership capacity right where organisations need it most.
Because when life and work collide, human-centered technology helps people and businesses grow stronger – together.
Invest in systems that build trust, enable flexibility, and make expectations clear.
Final Thought: Build for What Makes Us Human
The most successful organisations in the future of work won’t be the fastest adopters of AI. They’ll be the ones who design tech, and culture around how people really live, lead, and grow.
And when people grow so does your business.
👤 About the Author
Jayshree Jupp is an executive coach and founder of Inner Reach Coaching. She helps leaders act with clarity and compassion where life and work collide – building cultures where people and businesses grow stronger – together.
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