Doing the best at your job isn’t just about working harder — it’s also about connecting better, says psychologist Alyssa Birnbaum. She shares practical, research-backed tips for strengthening relationships with your coworkers (whether you’re together in person or working remotely) in order to boost engagement, fight burnout and make work better for everyone. (Recorded at TEDxClaremontGraduateUniversity on May 2, 2024)
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@robertrubi4693
December 21, 2025 at 11:27 am
❤❤❤❤❤❤
@unholyrevenger72
December 21, 2025 at 11:40 am
The cure for burnout at work is… less work. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.
@ketchup1185
December 21, 2025 at 6:03 pm
💯
@BenTrem42
December 21, 2025 at 8:16 pm
Evasion is not “cure”.
Perhaps some day you’ll bother with “words and meanings”.
@brbhave2p00p4
December 21, 2025 at 11:45 am
They’re all spies in the corporation reporting straight to their boss
@donaldclark1019
December 21, 2025 at 11:51 am
Who filmed this? Did they just hand the camera to anyone getting up to go to the bathroom?
@JoshBuckm
December 21, 2025 at 11:53 am
HR departments killed fraternization. We need to find a happy medium.
@AbdulMotalebSalim-s2u
December 21, 2025 at 11:55 am
📖📖📖☣️☣️☣️
@andrewchun4895
December 21, 2025 at 11:58 am
Sponsored by Blackrock and JP Morgan, ft. Fidelity Investments, Morgan Stanley, Barclays Bank, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America, RBC Capital Markets, Citibank, American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Goldman Sachs Banks? UBS? Credit Suisse, Houlihan
Lazard Asset Management
Bain Capital
@GooogleGoglee
December 21, 2025 at 12:05 pm
Micromanaging and wrong performance metrics screws the job quality conducted by employees.
@carolelafolle3800
December 21, 2025 at 12:17 pm
omg the one mesh of hair is driving me nuts!
@Alybirn
December 22, 2025 at 1:24 pm
LMAO! When I first saw the recording, it was literally the only thing I saw 🤣. I can’t rewatch it without tucking my hair behind my ear repeatedly. (This is the speaker!)
@laurabirnbaum-k3e
December 22, 2025 at 1:58 pm
If only we had AI speakers so everyone could look perfect all the time!! 😭
@jrcat2258
December 21, 2025 at 12:47 pm
In this video: woman is so nerdy that she needs to study how to do normal relationships, then gets a PhD for it. She could have just watched “Komi can’t communicate” on Crunchyroll.
@Alybirn
December 22, 2025 at 1:26 pm
Gosh, if only I thought of that earlier! (this is the speaker)
@laurabirnbaum-k3e
December 22, 2025 at 1:57 pm
The PhD is in Organizational Psychology. We really love ad hominem attacks in intellectual forums.
@arbdisconnect
December 21, 2025 at 12:51 pm
the title alone… stupid.
@KristenAnnWinslet
December 21, 2025 at 12:54 pm
Probably because I’m a Boomer, audio conversations are enough for me. I don’t have to meet you or see you on video. Quite honestly I believe the relationship and conversation goes more successfully by email or audio discussion. I think as you move to the younger generations, they require more interaction with in person or video. This allows for judgmental opportunities to the person your communicating with instead of objective thoughts.
@Alybirn
December 22, 2025 at 1:38 pm
This is really interesting! I didn’t look at the differences by age, but I’m sure it would be fascinating to learn more about generational variations (speaker here!)
@___MilkMan___
December 21, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Ted talks are such a joke lol
@jcjs33
December 21, 2025 at 2:00 pm
too young to know
@jcjs33
December 21, 2025 at 2:04 pm
sad to say but most people are puppets to the media everyone wanting to be ‘monied’ not wise…manipulators…ignoramuses …. gees
@JohnLee-p2f
December 21, 2025 at 2:05 pm
Yeah, when u not facing state level hacking and endless threats…
@yuniakaminska5385
December 21, 2025 at 2:13 pm
I agree to eveything said. After 9 years working in hi-tech, often remotely, experienced a burn out 2 times. The first thing I request at the new working place is a regular feedback.
@Blindside937
December 21, 2025 at 2:28 pm
So TED talks sold out to the conglomerate as well ?
@garcipat
December 21, 2025 at 3:06 pm
I totally disagree with real conversations and video conversations beeing the same. if you have never seen a person in real, its completly different. People are just a talking picture on a screen. Meeting them once changes that a LOT. Had this epxerience with several people.
@Alybirn
December 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Hello! Speaker here! I love that you brought this up – there are other researchers who say you always need to be IN PERSON to genuinely connect with someone else. My research showed that you could connect just as well through a videoconference, but I wasn’t investigating prior relationships – so maybe some of those people had already met before in person. I think you’re right, meeting someone in-person can definitely change the dynamics moving forward. But you don’t need to keep seeing them in-person in order to connect with them!
@garcipat
December 21, 2025 at 3:13 pm
One important thing is: people with whoem you work, you have more time to spend then sometimes with family and friends. So try to care about and maybe speak with someone you maybe wouldnt talk once a week. Just because.
@sharafaddin6226
December 21, 2025 at 9:58 pm
👍🏼
@Alybirn
December 22, 2025 at 1:51 pm
So true!
@TheRealByronBlanco
December 21, 2025 at 3:14 pm
If you’re experiencing burnout, then take another job, but don’t expect the same amount of pay. Also, being busy does not mean you’re doing great work. Lastly, know what KPIs you’re measured against, and let that be your strongest indicator. I forgot one more thing, life‘s not fair.
@TheRealByronBlanco
December 21, 2025 at 3:16 pm
Dang it, I forgot one more thing. If you are one of these folks that are looking for a career that has “true meaning“, do not work for a company that cares about making a profit.
@Kracklloo
December 21, 2025 at 3:45 pm
I think brun out is purposefully baked into large companies. Not only because it makes money in terms of short term profits, but to ensure long term power inbalances between workers and the owning class. Burn out due to relationship or overwork can cuase people isolate themselves. Because they feel isolated. This is good for the owning class. The classic divide and conquer strat. Remember workers used to have a lot more structural power due to pro labor legislation. The rich dont like that.
@meowcasts
December 21, 2025 at 3:51 pm
Well all true, but a bit obvious? To build true connections you have to connect through true interest and emotions. Thanks. I’d rather have heard about how exactly you quantified the effect of different interactions on the “level of engagement”. Just self assessment questionnaires or something like EEG, or idk, sleep quality…?
@laurabirnbaum-k3e
December 22, 2025 at 1:53 pm
I think she’s trying to change corporate culture, so sleep quality would not be a relevant matrix. That is certainly an important contributor to burnout, but an individual issue that a corporation would not really be able to control.
@Echo21
December 21, 2025 at 8:07 pm
“3 Simple Ways to Build Stronger Relationships at Work”:
1. Expand (7:14)
– Ask expansive, open-ended questions
– Answer expansively
2. Overlap (9:30)
– Find things you have in common
3. Caring (10:46)
– Show genuine appreciation
@BenTrem42
December 21, 2025 at 8:16 pm
VTA … what’s “quality connection” when everything pivots on “Does this please me?”
@BusinessBankingAndBeyond
December 22, 2025 at 3:24 am
Moreover, seeking opportunities for professional development and staying updated with industry trends can keep you ahead of the curve. Remember, excellence at work is a blend of diligence, communication, and growth.🌟
@ss_GOAT
December 22, 2025 at 11:49 am
BS
@Pirli20
December 22, 2025 at 7:29 pm
I believe that it’s not just shared interests that improve communication, but also differences that spark curiosity to get to know and discover others. I think this is even better for fostering communication. I agree that showing interest is crucial for successful communication because the speaker senses your interest, appreciates it, and is motivated to speak and explain more, thus increasing the likelihood of successful communication.
@Jacob99174
December 23, 2025 at 6:26 am
This was TedX, not Ted
MAJOR difference…