Loneliness has increasingly become a workplace crisis. Roughly 60% of employees with fewer than five years of work experience report feeling lonely all or most of the time. In a world of remote and hybrid work, that isolation has real consequences for both employees and the organizations they work for.

The good news? Connection is something employers can actively cultivate, and the payoff is significant. Employees who have strong coworker relationships are 1.6 times more likely to be engaged and 1.9 times more likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work, according to McLean & Company's engagement survey data spanning more than 200,000 respondents.

Our drive to connect is deeply biological. In prehistoric times, social bonds were survival mechanisms. Today, the brain still responds to loneliness and social isolation in ways that mirror physical pain. When that need for connection is met, it fuels intrinsic motivation: the kind that drives employees to engage with their work because they find it meaningful, not merely because of a paycheck. Research rooted in self-determination theory suggests that when employees feel a genuine sense of relatedness – valued and supported by those around them – engagement, retention, and job satisfaction all follow.

Even gossip has something to teach us! Here's a perhaps surprising data point: recent research published in the Journal of Business Ethics, drawing on surveys of more than 300 office workers, found that gossiping, particularly subordinates chatting about a shared boss, led to a greater sense of belonging with colleagues and stronger collaboration that day. The researchers were careful to note they aren't recommending gossip as a bonding strategy, but the underlying insight matters: employees have a deep-seated need for social survival, and they'll find ways to meet it whether organizations facilitate connection or not.

Building a connected workplace doesn't happen by accident. ASE partner, McLean & Company recommends a multi-pronged approach:

• Buddy and mentoring programs that bridge the gap in remote and hybrid environments
• Peer recognition programs that foster appreciation and a sense of shared purpose
• Psychologically safe, inclusive cultures where employees feel their perspectives are genuinely valued
• Leader development focused on empathy, emotional intelligence, and transparent communication

Leaders set the tone. When they model connection with empathy, listening without judgment, and actively championing relationship-building, employees follow. As FBI senior executive Peter Sursi noted at a recent McLean & Company event, investing time and resources in a culture of connection "is actually good for the business bottom line."

Sources: McLean & Company; HR Dive; Journal of Business Ethics