Social connections at work are good for your health

In an article for Harvard Business Review, former Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy writes that despite being in the most technologically connected era in history, many people lack meaningful social relationships. In the workplace, employees and executives who lack these connections are less productive, less creative and have reduced capacity for reasoning and decision making.

Address the health of your social connections with these recommendations:

• Evaluate the current state of connections in your workplace
• Build understanding of high quality relationships
• Make strengthening social connections a strategic priority
• Encourage coworkers to reach out and help others and to accept help when offered
• Create opportunities to learn about your colleagues’ personal lives

As humans, we’re hard-wired for social connections. Without them we feel lonely, and loneliness causes stress, and stress increases the likelihood of developing a number of health problems. Providing your workforce the opportunity for meaningful interaction isn’t just good for the soul, it’s good for the body too.

For more details, read the entire article here.