This week I attended a virtual conference on workplace wellbeing. One of the sessions brought home to me how workplace connections have eroded as technology has exploded.
Welcome to the 165th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. In addition to the value of workplace connections, this week’s edition looks at neighbours offering rideshare services, transforming windows into solar panels, and the connection between endocrine disruptors and fertility.
On my mind this week: The sad decline of workplace connections
Modern technology has had a huge impact the volume of interactions in our day-to-day lives. Sadly, while we’re interacting more we’re not really making the social connections we need to sustain us.
Earlier this week I attended a virtual conference on workplace wellbeing. The conference sessions took a holistic view of wellbeing, including physical, social and financial elements.
I especially enjoyed a session on social interaction in the age of AI, presented by Nura Patani of Segal. The session focused on the unhealthy shift from human to technology in our workplaces.
Interacting but not connecting
Patani pointed out that getting things done in the past required interaction. Connection happened by default. We had to talk to people to meet our objectives. Contrast that world with today, when technology has enabled faster progress but has removed some of the friction. Connection in today’s workplaces, and society as a whole is a choice, not a default.
We should be concerned about the consequences of this shift for our overall wellbeing. In today’s workplaces, 84% of workers using AI report feeling lonely at work. Further, workers are increasingly turning to AI tools for support, with 74% having used AI for personal or social support at work.
So while the volume of interactions has exploded, workplace social connections have eroded.
Patani pointed out that real social connection requires four elements: trust, belonging, support and quality interactions. These elements and the resulting connections sustain people through hard days.
Looking back to my early career
The presentation was timely. I mentioned last week that I gathered with a group of former colleagues from Mutual Life, the company where I started my career in the retirement business. I worked at Mutual Life from 1990 to 2000.
In an earlier reflection on my career, I shared how work relationships matter more than the work itself. I still believe that to be true. Many of the people at last week’s reunion have been friends for years.
As I chatted with several friends from the leadership team I was a part of in my early days as a people leader, I was so grateful for the friendship and support I enjoyed from many of those people. We truly did have all four elements in abundance.
We discussed what a special time that was and how good it felt to know we always had someone to confide in, and how knowing that someone had our back when things went south contributed to our success as individuals and a team. Sadly, we also observed how we had seen a shift in the later years of our careers, and how many of today’s young workers will never experience what we did.
Proximity does not equal connection
As many employers recognize the value of connection and collaboration, they are forcing remote workers back into the office. But these leaders are missing a key point. The technology-driven nature of today’s workplace doesn’t support deep relationships and connection.
Proximity alone will not automatically lead to real social connections. Developing the type of relationships I had with my co-workers will take effort in today’s workplace. And in a world where we expect everything to be quick, easy, and frictionless, many aren’t willing to make that effort.
I hope courageous leaders figure it out soon because I truly believe real workplace connections will be the key to success for companies and individuals.
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Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- The Kitchener Rangers are Memorial Cup champions! After clinching the Ontario Hockey League crown a couple of weeks ago, our boys in blue went undefeated in the Memorial Cup tournament to claim the Canadian Hockey League title. On Tuesday, we went downtown for their victory parade. The sun shone and it was a fabulous day to celebrate this inspiring group of teenagers.
- I made a batch of cream of asparagus soup with fresh asparagus from a local farm. After savouring a bowl, I froze the rest to enjoy all winter.
- On Friday, I caught a beautiful glimpse of the great blue heron on the pond during my morning walk. The pond was still so I snapped a shot of the heron and its mirror image.
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
Neighbours offer rideshare services
Lack of public transportation options outside of major urban areas present a growing challenge for a car-dependent aging population. But a community in central Vermont has developed a solution.
When someone needs a ride but can’t drive themselves, they can call up Free Wheelin’. Launched in 2019 by two friends who often drove their neighbours to medical appointments or errands, this almost entirely volunteer-run organization lets riders call a central number to schedule a ride at least two days in advance. Volunteer drivers sign up for slots that suit their schedule.
Now that’s creative thinking and community spirit in action!
(Source: Reasons to be Cheerful)
Window coating turns glass into solar panels
Startup NEXT Energy has a solution that turns office building windows into solar panels using photovoltaic paint. This thin, transparent layer added directly onto glass during the manufacturing process, lets light through and converts light particles into electricity.
The wall surface area of the average skyscraper is 10 to 20 times the rooftop surface area. Although the window panels are less efficient than rooftop solar panels, the additional available surface area means window solar can offset up to 40% of a typical building’s energy needs.
(Source: Happy Eco News on YouTube)
The impact of endocrine disruptors on men’s health and fertility
One of the other sessions at the wellbeing conference focused on men’s health. I’ve written before about the harmful effects of endocrine disruptors like BPA, phthalates, and pesticides but the presentation highlighted the extent of the problem.
These endocrine disruptors are the leading driver of a 50% drop in sperm counts over the last 40 years. In fact, 40% to 50% of infertility is male factor, yet men are rarely investigated first when a couple experiences fertility issues.
Quote of the week
We expect more from technology and less from each other. We create technology to provide the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship.
Sherry Turkle
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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I’m with you on the work front. I speak to a former work colleague every few months, and we both say how lucky we were to have worked when we did, rather than in today’s world. Working from home was something you only did in an emergency, whereas since the pandemic, it seems many people have never returned to the office. My niece works from home, and whenever I ask her if she misses the ‘office banter’, she shrugs her shoulders. Now she has social media to keep in touch, whereas back in the 1980s – 2000s, I had to talk to people to get work done.
I think we are heading for a speechless society, and that one day in the future, somebody will open a bar where you can pay to sit and chat to someone face to face.
It really is sad, Hugh. I worked from home for the last several years of my career, yet I interacted with people all day long. I made the effort to maintain and build my workplace connections, largely because I knew their importance. It’s different for people earllier in their careers and it’s a shame they don’t see that. At the conference I attended last week, one of the speakers said we’re interacting more but connecting less.
Social media interactions are mostly shallow and fleeting and I can’t imagine calling up most of my Facebook friends if I needed something, yet it’s how many people judge their worth and popularity.
As for the bar idea, let’s come back to that in a few years. It might be an interesting business opportunity. 😉
It’s great that you were able to meet with former colleagues and have a reunion. The workplace environment is worsening because there is so much focus on making money and most CEOs see people as disposable assets instead of a community that needs to be nurtured. If you treat people well, they will produce. Great post, Michelle.
Thanks Edward. It truly is sad. I saw a huge difference from the beginning to the end of my career in terms of how people were treated. It’s one of the reasons I got out of people leadership. Some of the things I saw just went against my values.
You’re welcome. It’s very difficult and sad to see those things happening in your workplace. It takes a toll on you. I’m glad I retired and am regaining some sanity.
Amen to that Edward! 💚
Love the heron picture – absolutely stunning, Michelle! Your reunion with your Mutual Life colleagues is so heartening. You’re right that workplace connections are eroding as well as the longevity/loyalty to employees and coworkers. You mentioned you worked for Mutual Life for 10 years. I wonder how many Millenials stay in jobs that long?
Thanks Wynne. Yes, I worked for Mutual Life for 10 years and then Manulife for 23 years. Almost 35 years in the same industry. I suspect very few Millenials stay with companies that long. And if my daughters are anything to go by, Gen Z is lucky to make 5 years! What’s really amazing to me is how many of those people I’ve stayed in touch with over the years. I’m having lunch with 3 of them on Friday.
Michelle — I feel all of this. There are bursts of activity in meetings that are too large — too many players — and then the interactions afterward are so transactional…no depth. I know a business owner here in the Chicago area who is mightily concerned about the mental health of his employees, so he’s created a variety of safe socializing events — not required but encouraged — to make sure his folks find opportunities to get to know one another. As he put it, it’s expensive to fund, but it beats the high cost of attrition when people leave because they feel no connection, no synergy. I bet your conference was full of bright ideas…love this post! 💝💝💝
Thanks Vicki. When I look at my last employer, the reason I stayed for 25 years was the great relationships I had with my leaders and co-workers. I could have made more money if I’d made a move, but I didn’t like the idea of starting all over from scratch and rebuilding all that trust. I often said my loyalty was more to the people than the company.
Love that…making the right choice for the right reason. ❤️😉❤️
This is such a great post, Michelle. While 100% remote work has been a net positive for me (no dangerous commute, smaller clothing budget, mid-day chores, more free time, etc.), the one downside is loss of connections. I’ve been with my employer for 5 years and I don’t really know much about any of my colleagues beyond our working relationship… if they have families, how they spend their time, and such.
Also, it’s really tragic about the impact of endocrine disruptors on men’s health and fertility. We’ve spent the last *decade* strictly avoiding all known endocrine disruptors, long before starting for a family, and it’s a real battle… I suspect a lot of the damage is long-lasting, if not permanent. I didn’t give infertility a second thought before we experienced it ourselves, but I truly wish there was better communication and more testing around fertility early.
I loved my remote work arrangement, Erin. Although I had worked for the company for a long time and had established those connections first. During the pandemic, our leadership did a good job enouraging us to spend time connecting. We even had monthly virtual “carnivals” where we played games, shared pictures and just chatted. I found it sad that some people didn’t attend because they were “too busy”. I was busy too but made time because it’s so important.
And I agree about the endocrine disruptors. Since my cancer experience, I am very careful about what I put on and in my body, but these toxins are everywhere. It’s sad.
I feel grateful to have worked with such a close teaching staff. I consider many of them some of my closest friends. I’ve been retired for 9 years, and the retirees still get together once a month for lunch.
It’s wonderful to have those connections, isn’t it Pete? It certainly makes work more enjoyable, even when it’s stressful.
You are both terrific examples of the importance of power of staying connected, maintaining relationships. Examples for others to follow, for sure. 💝
Thanks Vicki. I used to tell my younger colleagues that, years from now they won’t remember the details of the projects they worked on, but they will remember the people and that’s why it’s worth nurturing those relationships. They probably thought I was just a batty old lady! 😂👵😂
What a wonderful gift you gave them. I bet they heard you — and I bet your advice made a difference! ❤️
I hope so.
❤️
Thank you, Vicki. Friendships can evaporate unless we work at them. Many of my coworkers taught my son, who attended the same elementary school where I worked. I think he would have done fine, but my wife and I decided not to make things awkward for him by having his dad be his teacher.
Always making good choices…that’s you, Pete! ❤️😉❤️
I go to work only twice a week and the other three I telework from home. They encourage us to go to work especially to socialize and team up. And I have to admit that it works. Actually, I find difficult to stay focused and I go to the so called “silent room” to be able to work!
I’m glad to hear that works for you. I think it works in some workplaces but not all. The company I worked for had teams dispersed all over North America. We’d go into the office and spend all day on the phone with people in other offices. I think many companies have a lot of work to do to figure out how you enable connections in a technology driven world. It can be done—some of my best work friends were in different locations—but it takes effort.
Loneliness and isolation is definitely a big issue – including work. I think there are a lot of factors, including hybrid or remote work, virtual meetings and increased workloads and social media. There are small things we do at work – such as a social committee – to try to combat some of these things. But definitely a common concern in most workplaces!
For some reason, your comments are not showing up in my Jetpack app notifications. I only see them in my browser. Weird.
It’s good that your workplace is aware of the importance of social connections. One of the comments that stood out to me from the presentation I attending was that social events do not equal social connections. The point was that many workplaces throw a holiday party or summer barbeque and think they’ve done their job, but they don’t do the little things that foster ongoing connection on a daily basis, like allowing time for small talk at the beginning of a meeting, or encouraging people to get away from their desks and have lunch or coffee together. It’s something to think about.
Jetpack is such a weird app.
I hear ya, social connection is not an item on a checklist and requires consistent commitment and it has to be organic not enforced.