The Price Of Lost Connections

Isolated employees can be compared to gig workers, who may do the same tasks for different companies. People can still feel productive, even content, working by themselves. But when work feels transactional, it’s very easy to trade one laptop for another. It’s not surprising that turnover is so h...

At its essence, workplace culture is defined by shared norms and routines. Something as simple as providing free coffee can create an office routine for employees to meet each other or socialize. At their best, those small interactions open the door to friendships or collaboration. Even when they...

For all the triumphs of remote work, the social connection remains a pain point. One survey of 700 remote workers, who had previously worked in offices, found that social connection was the thing people missed most about offices...

Research on remote work is sparse, and the conclusions vary. Some studies find that workers are happier; others say workers experience more loneliness, irritability, worry, and guilt. Also, the recent research on remote work has taken place during the pandemic, making it difficult to separate whe...

Remote work challenges these routines and office norms—when people come in when they leave, what they wear, and whom they interact with. The flexibility to work on your own time, and in sweatpants, if you choose, is one of the great advantages of remote work. But it can also leave employees feeli...

Since remote work doesn’t seem to be going away, these problems will need to be solved, fast. Some companies trying their hand:

Cleary: is a “digital lobby” where people can ask questions, post announcements, and congratulate each other on workplace wins.

Tand...