A recent study by BetterUp Labs analyzing 78 companies (about 3,000 U.S. workers) found that 43% of people don’t feel a sense of connection to coworkers, and 22% said they don’t even have one friend at work. More than half said they’d even trade some compensation for stronger ties with colleagues. BetterUp’s report, titled “The Connection Crisis,” also found that 69% of employees aren’t satisfied with available opportunities for connection in their workplace.

Certainly, we can do better. Here’s how:

OPEN COMMUNICATION

The absence of communication breeds disinformation, distrust, and poor performance. Be as candid and authentic as possible with employees about staffing changes. Also be transparent about workload changes, including whether newly assigned responsibilities are temporary or permanent.

Leadership IQ‘s survey of layoff survivors found that workers who gave their managers high scores for visibility, approachability, and candor were 72% less likely to report a decrease in their productivity. They were 65% less likely to report a decline in the quality of their company’s product or service.

ACKNOWLEDGE SURVIVOR’S GUILT

Your left-behinds are mourning the loss of friends and worried about their own future at the company. Let them know their feelings of grief and anxiety are normal. Stay approachable and listen to their concerns.

After a round of layoffs, it’s important to relate to and connect with the team members remaining.

FOSTER FRIENDSHIPS AND MENTORSHIPS

Even before the pandemic, workers were craving connection. Exacerbated by two years of social isolation, economic unease and geopolitical strife, societal stress is at an all-time high. It’s more crucial than ever to give employees explicit permission and space to socialize at work—for their well-being and your bottom line.

On-the-job socializing once was thought to hurt productivity, but stacks of studies now prove otherwise. Employees with workplace friends engage 32% more, collaborate 20% more, and are 32% more innovative, according to the BetterUp study. Research from the Harvard Business Review (HBR) and The Energy Project shows that “mini-breaks” and “micro-connections” that occur every 90 minutes result  in a 50% higher level of well-being, a 50% greater capacity for creative thinking, and a 30% higher level of focus. Meanwhile, employees with few friends have 71% stronger intention to quit.

Fostering connections is especially challenging in a remote work world, so your creativity counts. Schedule virtual coffees or lunch meetups. Use your digital hangouts to spark new introductions and strengthen existing bonds over shared interests—hobbies, sports, kids, food, movies, music. I find the best virtual watercoolers are entirely separate from your productivity and workflow apps. When you allow employees to turn off work mode, they’re more likely to connect organically and authentically.

GIVE GENEROUS RECOGNITION

Acknowledge the accomplishments of both those who left and those who are staying. People want to be seen and appreciated, especially when they’re worried about their jobs.

Start meetings with shoutouts and then invite team members to share their own “gratitudes” for teammates. Be thoughtful and specific; a vague “nice job” compliment can sound insincere. Public and private shoutouts are equally valuable. If you sense that a particular employee isn’t comfortable with attention, send a personal email or note, or call.  

Employees who feel recognized at work are twice as likely to put in extra effort and innovate, so a 15-second investment in a thoughtful compliment is totally worthwhile.

Read the full report here