Building Connection in a Disconnected World

Economists describe the Great Resignation as the Great Disconnection, and this was illuminated between April – September, 2021 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Especially for those in leisure and hospitality, their marketplace has been an evolving door of new workers. One in 14 hotel clerks, restaurant servers, and barbacks said their goodbyes within a single month of last year. Those that received pandemic-relief economic stimulus checks, student-loan forgiveness programs, and those particular young adults with a low income had more freedom to quit their jobs and transition to something else. In the United States, the workplaces boast approximately 160 million, with a resignation rate of about 4 million per month – quite the highest on record so far. 

Since the 1980s, Americans have quit less while they clung to their jobs in establishing their safety nets for personal stability; yet, the recent months have evidently indicated that Americans went from the frying pan of economic chaos to the high winds of managerial ocean storms as positions remain unfilled, supply chains break down, and the people and parts of many companies went missing. 65% of the American labor force cited that they felt disconnected from co-workers at the height of the pandemic.

Additionally, lonely employees have cost the U.S. economy $406 billion annually. Research by Cigna demonstrates that lonely employees have a higher risk of turnover, lower productivity, more missed days at work, and a lower quality of work. 

Meanwhile, BetterUp found that employees who experience high-levels of belonging have a drop in turnover risk, an increase in job performance, a reduction in sick days, and an increase in employer promoter score, which results in an annual savings of $52 million for a 10,000-person company. The Institute of Leadership and Management noted that having meaningful connections with colleagues indicated job satisfaction among 77% of respondents. Employees with meaningful peer-to-peer connections and collegiality were noted to have greater work productivity, engage more customers, maintain higher well-being, and were seen less likely to get injured while on the job. 

Ritualize workplace connection. 

In her book, The Business of Friendship, Shasta Nelson explains that “friendships don’t just happen.” Friendships at work need three ingredients: positivity to feel satisfied, vulnerability to feel safe, and consistency to feel seen. Spontaneous moments of human connection are more challenging to recreate within both remote and hybrid work-life environments since the typical water-cooler conversations, hallway reflections, and on-the-go discussions while grabbing coffee were limited. Pursue consistent workplace connection rituals that elicit appreciation and praise as part of the work environment’s culture. Mindful Mondays, Thankful Tuesdays, Watershed Moment Wednesdays, and Story-telling Fridays are being reinstated to foster belonging through sparking curiosity and compassion.

Building Connection through support. 

Employees that invest in one another’s personal growth can authentically build a workplace culture in which friendships and meaningful connections can thrive. With the potential for relinquishing autonomy, risking social rejection, and perceiving a more diminished sense of status are all part of the social threats involved in navigating the negative mindsets involved with asking for help according to research in neuroscience and social psychology. It can be keenly uncomfortable asking for help and support in a workplace that requires an image of confidence, competence, and much expertise. Nowadays, career progression and development require peer-to-peer feedback, advice and counsel, referrals, and additional resources. Build consistency and structure around how individuals can ask one another for assistance in the workplace, offer ideas, provide resources, and establish a culture in which relationships can thrive. 

Make psychological safety experiential. 

In the workplace environment, psychological safety is the underlying belief that individuals can speak up without having a fear of punishment, rejection, and humiliation. Even amid our current hybrid work environment, it can be immensely challenging to develop an experiential rendition of psychological safety as the boundary between work and life has become more increasingly blurry; yet, experiential psychological safety has been noted as a critical force for driving greater quality decision-making, workplace interpersonal connectedness, fostering healthy group dynamics, and cultivating more healthier execution in organizations. Not knowing how to do a task or perform on the project can invite others to offer counsel, insight, advice, and emotional support while reinforcing the benefit of an environment that is not afraid to ask questions, make mistakes, and attempt new and innovative ventures.

Allow time to recharge.

1 in 5 Americans are self-reporting loneliness and disconnection, and this is a double digit increase from 2013; it is important to see that building connection in a disconnected world as a larger endeavor to make the workplace great as well as move toward a more resilient social community. Employee health needs to be accounted for with greater sobriety as we seek for human relationships and connections to thrive amid a global circumstance. Interactive icebreakers, movement breaks with friends, calling another support person on a break, connection exercises, 5-minute play times before in-person and virtual meetings, and taking a break every 90 minutes all manifest a greater indicator of workplace health and well-being. Studies have also shown that spending more time at play with colleagues from work can increase productivity, overall satisfaction, and produce better collaboration as well as a higher level of capacity in prediction of creativity and focus. 

Building connection in a disconnected world is everyone’s responsibility as we move toward greater resilience as a global community.