Yet the pre-pandemic norm of being in the office every hour of every workday often crowded out time with friends and family. So, for many of us, the solution is not to rewind the clock to our 2019 ways. Instead, we can form strong bonds by being more intentional about how we work.
Employees can take the initiative to invite colleagues to lunch or organise a happy hour. Of course, structural issues may limit what they can do, especially if some of their colleagues live halfway across the country. And often, individuals’ efforts go unrewarded.
But employers can make it easier to connect.
In researching a forthcoming book, we found companies rethinking how to bring people together. Some revamped performance reviews to better reward the too-often invisible work of connecting teams. Others reorganised coffee spaces, replacing atomised coffee machines with centralised hubs that brought colleagues together. Some turned managers into mentor matchmakers setting up weekly one-on-ones for co-workers to analyse their recent wins and frustrations. Such interventions can foster lasting connections, give employees new skills and improve companies’ bottom lines.
Twenty-six years after Robert Putnam warned that Americans were bowling alone, many of us are now typing alone. To ensure that work remains a source of connection, we must change not only where we work, but how we work, so that our jobs continue to bring us together.
Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington are labour economists. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
