The Age of Isolation
Emma Grede, founder of the women’s bodywear company Skims, said in a recent The Diary of a CEO podcast: “Work-life balance is your problem, not the employer’s responsibility.” The current job market certainly favors employers, as I mentioned previously in The Great Hesitation, but this feels like a sheer abdication of responsibility and there is much more to this story.
In the 2023 HHS report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy described the epidemic of isolation and loneliness that was taking place even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting half of all adults. His call to action was a “reimagining [of] the structures, policies, and programs that shape a community to best support the development of healthy relationships.” The report defines belonging as “a fundamental human need—the feeling of deep connection with social groups, physical places, and individual and collective experiences.”
A recent University of Pittsburgh study of over 3 million tech and finance workers in the S&P 500 found that return-to-office (RTO) mandates resulted in abnormally high employee turnover, especially among female, senior, and more skilled employees. As a result, the study found that it is now more difficult for these firms to retain the employees with the most career options - their top performers.
Additionally, a January 14, 2025 report by Gallup shows that workplace engagement has dropped to a decade-low 31%, driven primarily by unclear job expectations, a lack of professional development, and leaders not caring about their employees.
We now face a situation where the pandemic exacerbated preexisting issues of isolation, and then RTO policies and weak leadership forced individuals into a work environment that many deeply resent. In other words, how to make a sad person sadder.
One of my favorite authors, Simon Sinek, in his book Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, describes how true leaders invest their time, energy, money, and even their spot in the chow line to ensure their team thrives. For those of us that are prior military, we live esprit de corps: shared identity, common purpose, high morale, and loyalty to one another. It is and always has been the secret sauce of high performing organizations.
My advice: begin every team meeting with a round robin for a personal check-in, no work-related topics allowed. Have each person on the team share how they are doing, including yourself, so everyone can connect, have open communication, and foster a culture of trust. And in your 1:1’s, make sure you understand their life demands. By consistently exercising the “connection” muscle, you’re ready to address the work stuff and the balance part will manifest itself. Take care of the employees who are taking care of your business, because it is your responsibility.
