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Vivek Murthy: How To Solve The Work Loneliness Epidemic

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Vivek Murthy

I spoke with Vivek Murthy, who served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States from December 15, 2014 to April 21, 2017, about his recent Harvard Business Review article on the loneliness epidemic, how companies can reduce loneliness in the workplace, his first hand experience witnessing loneliness across the country, and his best career advice.

As America’s Doctor, Murthy created initiatives to tackle our country’s most urgent public health issues. He chose areas of focus that were raised by people across America during his inaugural listening tour. In addition to his role as America’s Doctor, as the Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps,  Murthy commanded a uniformed service of 6,600 public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations in over 800 locations domestically and abroad. He worked with thousands of Commissioned Corps officers to strengthen the Corps and protect the nation from Ebola and Zika and to respond to the Flint water crisis, major hurricanes, and frequent health care shortages in rural communities.

Dan Schawbel: Based on your recent HBR article, why do you think we're experiencing a loneliness epidemic right now and how it is impacting the workplace?

Vivek Murthy: We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness are increasing. This trend has been taking place for years yet we are only just recognizing its magnitude and impact. There are at least several factors at work.

First, geographic mobility has increased, leading more people to move away from home and live separately from family and friends. More people report living alone today than at any time since the census began collecting this data.

Second, technology has been a factor. While I am a firm believer in the power of technology to improve connection when applied in the right manner, for far too many people social media has led to substituting online connections for offline connections (they are not equivalent). Our cities are filled with people with thousands of friends on Facebook and LinkedIn who feel profoundly alone. Additionally, the more we shift from speaking on the phone to texting and from having an in-person conversation to emailing someone down the hall, the more layers we place between ourselves and others. While there are times when it’s easier and more efficient to text or email, we have to ask ourselves if the pendulum has swung to the point where we are paying too high a price in terms of isolation.

Third, the nature of work is evolving in a way that crowds out our sustaining relationships. In our constantly connected culture, work is increasingly spilling into evenings, weekends, and vacation time – constraining time that was previously reserved for family and friends. And more time at work doesn’t necessarily mean stronger connections with your work colleagues. As beneficial as telecommuting can be, it increases the risk of disconnection as opportunities to have face to face interaction are diminished. Even in the office, people sit in open-plan workspaces, but everyone is staring at a computer or attending task-oriented meetings where opportunities to connect on a human level are scarce.

Loneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity. Loneliness is also associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, and anxiety. At work, loneliness decreases performance, limits creativity, and impairs other aspects of executive function such as reasoning and decision making. For our health and our work, it is imperative that we address the loneliness epidemic quickly.

Schawbel: What are some ways that organizations can reduce employee isolation and what types of conversations can employees have with their managers around this issue?

Murthy: Organizations can start by assessing the state of connections in their workplace. Some questions to ask your employees include: Do you feel your colleagues genuinely value and care for you? Do you believe your institution has a culture that supports giving and receiving kindness? Do your colleagues understand who you are beyond your role at work?

Additionally, organizations can create a culture where the following actions are supported and where leaders lead by example:

• Give and receive help freely. Helping a colleague is a mutually reaffirming experience and a simple way to feel meaningful connection.

• Understand colleagues as whole people. The likelihood that authentic social connections will develop is greater when people feel understood and appreciated as individuals with full lives — as mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, individuals with passions outside of work, concerned citizens and community members. By creating opportunities for employees to learn about each other beyond their work roles, an organization can create stronger, deeper connections. When I was Surgeon General, our office developed “Inside Scoop,” an exercise in which team members were asked to share something about themselves through pictures for five minutes during weekly staff meetings. Presenting was an opportunity for each of us to share more of who we were; listening was an opportunity to recognize our colleagues in the way they wished to be seen. The impact of this simple exercise was powerful and immediate. People felt more valued by the team after seeing their colleagues’ genuine reactions to their stories. Team members who had traditionally been quiet during discussions began speaking up and taking on tasks outside their traditional roles. They appeared less stressed at work. And most of them told me how much more connected they felt to their colleagues and the mission they served.

• Protect time with family and friends. Having protected time outside work to spend with family and friends is essential. Such relationships are nourishing and they help reduce stress. In turn, they contribute to greater engagement and productivity in the workplace.

Strengthening social connections in the workplace must be a strategic priority. That can only happen if all levels of the organization are committed to creating a culture that prioritizes authentic connection.

Schawbel: Can you talk about how you've witnessed the loneliness epidemic first-hand working as the U.S. surgeon general? Why is this topic is meaningful to you?

Murthy: The most common ailment I saw as a doctor was not heart disease or diabetes, it was loneliness. Loneliness that was driven by a lack of connection, a lack of meaning, and a lack of self worth. As I visited big cities and small towns across our country as Surgeon General, I found that many people were in pain that stemmed from many sources, including chronic illness, violence, addiction, and economic hardship. And even though they knew others were experiencing similar pain, they felt profoundly alone. This was true across socioeconomic classes, geographies, and ages. There was also a stigma around loneliness that made people feel ashamed to admit they were lonely. They felt it made them seem deficient and unworthy of love.

At the same time, I was developing a deeper appreciation for the science behind loneliness which tells us that loneliness places our body in a chronic stress state. In a chronic stress state, we have greater levels of cortisol flowing through our bodies and elevated levels of inflammation which damage our tissues and increase our risk of diseases like cancer. It is not surprising that loneliness is associated with shortened life span, cardiovascular disease, dementia, anxiety, and depression. It is also associated with reduced engagement and productivity in the workplace.

I sometimes worry that we have lost sight of the fundamental need that each of us have for human connection. In a society that tends to prizes the individual over the collective, it turns out that individuals cannot be truly fulfilled or successful without each other.

This topic is personal to me because I was lonely for many years as a young child, but I felt too ashamed to admit it to my family or teachers. I want people to know that if you are lonely, you are not the only one. And if you aren’t lonely, there is a strong chance that someone you know is lonely. The reality is this: the world is suffering from an epidemic of loneliness. It is up to each of us to do what we can in our families, workplaces, schools, and social organizations to rebuild the strong social connections that are the foundation of a healthy, strong society.

Schawbel: What are your top three pieces of career advice?

Murthy: 

1. Chase inspiration. I believe that inspiration is one of the most powerful forces in life. In career and in relationships, it’s worth searching for the path that inspires you. Pursuing such a path often entails risk it may involve making a big change in what you’re doing but the career risks we regret most are the ones we don’t take.

2. Be kind. Always. Kindness is more than a virtue. It is a source of strength. Giving and receiving kindness are easy ways to feel good and to help others feel good too. People, organizations, and societies thrive when they are grounded in a culture of kindness. We all have the power to be kind.

3. Remember your anchors. Anchors are those people in your life who remind you of who you are your values, aspirations, and worth even when you forget. Keep them close and always let them know how much they mean to you.

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