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Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

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Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#11

Post by 40acres »

The average American spends too much time at work to not have some sort of social, not 100% related to work, activities and groups that they can be apart of.

As a black employee I'm very plugged in the employee resource group for black employees at my organization. I've been able to give back to the local community through volunteering, develop mentee and mentor relationships through this network and develop a sense that there are folks who are not connected to my day to day work that 'have my back', it definitely helps with retention.

A coworker of mine is very involved with the Indian ERG, and another sings choir with the Christian ERG on Wednesdays.

These sorts of groups get a lot of flak from folks who don't think these groups should exist or that companies should not focus on "diversity", but at the end of the day they provide an infrastructure that communities can build on, and that's very important.

Even when I'm having a terrible day, walking through the hallway and having a quick chat with someone who've I've met through these networks is extremely valuable.

I'd recommend anyone who feels loneliness at work to take a look at what ERGs your company may have established, not all of them are tied to a racial, religious, or sexual identity. The maker group at my employer is pretty big and active last I checked.

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#12

Post by LiterallyDoge »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #8
maxxxxx wrote: post #2

Maybe I am jaded but reading the article sounds like the usual "blablabla" to me. In the end we should try to make work a smaller part of our lives so we have time to have real social lives of our own. With the current thinking of companies as profit maximizing machines everything we do at the workplace is just window-dressing to cover up that soullessness.

You’re not jaded, just pragmatic and well adjusted. Work is not for friends, it is where we go to earn an income to support ourselves financially. Maximize your income at work (while minimizing time spent working) to maximize your happiness outside of work (hobbies, family, side project, working towards financial independence, whatever). I am working on starting my own business to hire family and friends; for me, tim…

I've met a couple of good friends at work. I think good leadership fosters the human soul and the value of the individual as an engine for productivity.

That said, truly good leadership is a rare thing.

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#13

Post by aisengard »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #8
maxxxxx wrote: post #2

Maybe I am jaded but reading the article sounds like the usual "blablabla" to me. In the end we should try to make work a smaller part of our lives so we have time to have real social lives of our own. With the current thinking of companies as profit maximizing machines everything we do at the workplace is just window-dressing to cover up that soullessness.

You’re not jaded, just pragmatic and well adjusted. Work is not for friends, it is where we go to earn an income to support ourselves financially. Maximize your income at work (while minimizing time spent working) to maximize your happiness outside of work (hobbies, family, side project, working towards financial independence, whatever). I am working on starting my own business to hire family and friends; for me, tim…

Mixing money and family/friends sounds like it will end horribly. What happens when you don't break even and you need to fire people?

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#14

Post by toomuchtodo »

aisengard wrote: post #13
toomuchtodo wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re not jaded, just pragmatic and well adjusted. Work is not for friends, it is where we go to earn an income to support ourselves financially. Maximize your income at work (while minimizing time spent working) to maximize your happiness outside of work (hobbies, family, side project, working towards financial independence, whatever). I am working on starting my own business to hire family and friends; for me, tim…

Mixing money and family/friends sounds like it will end horribly. What happens when you don't break even and you need to fire people?

I provide good references, connections to other employers, and generous severance to help soften the landing. I have done this before at a business in my early 20s during M&A events.

All employment is temporary. Remember, my goal is to operate a business to spend time with those whose company I enjoy, not to be ridiculously successful.

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#15

Post by pc86 »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #8
maxxxxx wrote: post #2

Maybe I am jaded but reading the article sounds like the usual "blablabla" to me. In the end we should try to make work a smaller part of our lives so we have time to have real social lives of our own. With the current thinking of companies as profit maximizing machines everything we do at the workplace is just window-dressing to cover up that soullessness.

You’re not jaded, just pragmatic and well adjusted. Work is not for friends, it is where we go to earn an income to support ourselves financially. Maximize your income at work (while minimizing time spent working) to maximize your happiness outside of work (hobbies, family, side project, working towards financial independence, whatever). I am working on starting my own business to hire family and friends; for me, tim…

> Maximize your income at work (while minimizing time spent working) to maximize your happiness outside of work

I think this is a really healthy attitude but it also requires a bit of introspection and soul searching about what is "enough" for you to be happy. If your goal is to maximize income regardless of time spent, you should probably be a CEO, or an HFT developer, or a Wall Street banker. But on the other end you can do next to no productive work and earn enough to survive if not really live an exciting life, not be able to take vacations, etc.

For different people, in different stages of their lives, living in different parts of the world, this could be anything from $5k USD a year to $500k USD a year. I'm still trying to figure it out myself and I'm in my mid 30's. It's particularly hard as every promotion that comes with more than a token single- or low double-digit percentage raise usually has a pretty significant spike in work/time requirement, at least initially. So a lot of folks (like a former boss of mine) get a big promotion and raise and find out they were happier doing less work for $50k less every year.

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#16

Post by pc86 »

LiterallyDoge wrote: post #12
toomuchtodo wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re not jaded, just pragmatic and well adjusted. Work is not for friends, it is where we go to earn an income to support ourselves financially. Maximize your income at work (while minimizing time spent working) to maximize your happiness outside of work (hobbies, family, side project, working towards financial independence, whatever). I am working on starting my own business to hire family and friends; for me, tim…

I've met a couple of good friends at work. I think good leadership fosters the human soul and the value of the individual as an engine for productivity. That said, truly good leadership is a rare thing.

I think it's rare because it's really, really hard, even with the best of intentions.

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#17

Post by LeifCarrotson »

maxxxxx wrote: post #9
kradeelav wrote: post #7

Open offices get (some deserved) flack, but I truly believe there is a happy medium between cubicles and a warehouse space of tables - my current setup is a room with a team of eight people spread out at L shaped desks. The people there are honestly one of the best parts there, and it's nice for them or me to lean around the monitors and shoot the shit a few times a day - socialization doesn't need to be a ton of wor…

I also like team rooms for 2 to 5 people. You can have a nice talk and still get the feeling of privacy.

As a hardware engineer, I have what seems to be a surprisingly unique working environment: I have both a private office where I work when I need to focus and a lab/shop area where I work with groups of coworkers. It's ideal IMO.

If there are 3 people in the team room and 2 of them feel like chatting while the other is 3 hours deep in a project, that can kill productivity. Or if you get a bad roll of the dice and have a hard time working with your teammates. Why not true private offices?

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#18

Post by LiterallyDoge »

pc86 wrote: post #16
LiterallyDoge wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've met a couple of good friends at work. I think good leadership fosters the human soul and the value of the individual as an engine for productivity. That said, truly good leadership is a rare thing.

I think it's rare because it's really, really hard, even with the best of intentions.

It reminds me of juggling where one ball is money, the other is people, and maybe the third is your own sanity.

Re: Fighting the “loneliness epidemic” at work

#20

Post by aisengard »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #14
aisengard wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mixing money and family/friends sounds like it will end horribly. What happens when you don't break even and you need to fire people?

I provide good references, connections to other employers, and generous severance to help soften the landing. I have done this before at a business in my early 20s during M&A events. All employment is temporary. Remember, my goal is to operate a business to spend time with those whose company I enjoy, not to be ridiculously successful.

You've done this before with friends and family?
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