Building Belonging in a Hybrid Healthcare Workforce

In this episode of the Cohesion Podcast, Miriam Connaughton speaks with Jim O’Gorman, Chief People Officer at Included Health, about designing belonging and connectedness in a distributed healthcare workforce. Jim shares how his team reinvested office savings into ERGs and in-person experiences, how they separate orientation from onboarding, and why psychological safety matters more than ever in a dispersed workforce. From playlists and Slack channels to leadership development and DEI strategy, this episode offers practical guidance on how to build a people-first culture—with intention. Episode Segments: 1. Getting to Know Jim 00:00: From Hulu to healthcare—Jim shares career highlights, personal stories, and a favorite show. 2. Rethinking Belonging 04:53: Why employees feel lonelier than ever—and how we’ve misunderstood engagement. 3. Leading a Remote Culture 08:09: How Included Health uses travel, ERGs, and curated moments to foster connection. 4. Generational Diversity in the Workplace 18:06: What really divides (and unites) different generations—and how to focus on what matters. 5. Onboarding with Purpose 21:31: Why onboarding and orientation should be separate—and how to create early connection. 6. Inclusion & Performance 28:04: Beyond checkboxes—how DEI connects to performance, safety, and true belonging. 7. Equipping Leaders 32:00: Why junior managers are under pressure—and how to support them in a remote world. 8. Tech That Connects 35:11: Using tools like Slack, playlists, and walk-on songs to scale human connection. “We need to stop running from connectedness. Remote work requires more—not less—humanity in how we lead.” – Jim O’Gorman 🔔 Subscribe to the Cohesion Podcast for more expert insights on employee experience, internal communications, and culture. 🌐 Learn more about Simpplr: www.simpplr.com 📎 Connect with Jim: LinkedIn #EmployeeExperience #BelongingAtWork #RemoteLeadership #HybridWorkforce #HealthcareCulture #InternalComms #PeopleStrategy #LeadershipEnablement