Cultivating connection in a loneliness epidemic.
By Pete Mercer
Human connection has become a precious commodity in 2025 as more and more people experience isolation in one form or another. No matter what the cause is (we will certainly get into a few of them), it’s clear that our society is at a pivotal moment when it comes to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Repertoire Magazine sat down with Smiley Poswolsky to discuss building connections in a solitary world and how that can affect your sales reps and organization as a whole. Poswolsky is a keynote speaker and author (titles include Friendship in the Age of Loneliness: An Optimist’s Guide to Connection and The Workplace Belonging Toolkit: An Actionable Guide to Build a Culture of Belonging and Human Connection at Work) who believes that the future of work is human connection.
A loneliness epidemic
Vivek Murthy, a former United States Surgeon General, released an advisory in 2023 that the startling levels of social disconnection felt across the country were signs of a “loneliness epidemic.” Just this year, Derek Thompson referred to this cultural moment as the “anti-social century” in the January 2025 issue of The Atlantic. More recently, a study conducted by the American Psychiatric Association has found that one in three Americans felt lonely every week throughout 2024.
Clearly, we have a serious problem on our hands. Loneliness is such a prevalent experience that it goes beyond our personal lives – our work lives are being impacted as employees experience staggering levels of burnout and disengagement in the workplace.
“In 2025, we’ve never been more online and digitally connected – yet rates of loneliness, burnout, and disengagement are at historic heights. With hybrid work, rapid AI adoption, wall-to-wall zoom meetings, and 24/7 email; workplace connection has taken a hit,” Poswolsky said.
As the loneliness epidemic continues to spread, there are very few Americans who are left unscathed in the crossfire. He said, “70% of Americans are disengaged at work, 40% don’t trust their coworkers, 50% are burned out. Employees are experiencing the lowest levels of belonging and engagement ever recorded in a culture of increasing anxiety, uncertainty, and overwhelm.”
How did we get here?
As for the contributing factors that led to this loneliness epidemic, there are a number of things at work. For starters, the COVID-19 pandemic played an enormous role in creating new social trends that encouraged isolation. These were born out of necessity, but many have maintained their solitary lifestyles long after COVID waned as a public threat.
While remote/hybrid work environments are certainly not public enemy number one for loneliness trends, they do contribute to a lack of engagement with the rest of your team. Poswolsky said, “The shift to hybrid work, ongoing post-pandemic stress, rapid AI adoption, as well as increasing economic and labor market volatility, have left a lot of people feeling they don’t know their coworkers (or friends) anymore.”
Poswolsky said that one of the of the biggest killers of employee engagement is “a lack of purpose.” An employee’s sense of personal purpose can and should align with that of the company they work for, giving them a shared vision for the mission of the company. With purpose comes clarity, and with clarity comes direction. “When employees don’t know their purpose, or don’t feel valued in pursuit of their purpose, they become disengaged quickly.”
Work environments can be easily impacted by so many factors and can take a downward turn without much of a warning. High stress jobs, many of which are in healthcare, create a tension that often leads to a toxic working environment. Toxicity is naturally detrimental to connection.
“In fast-paced environments like medical sales or healthcare distribution, the focus is often on speed and outcomes, which is critical, but it can unintentionally sideline human connection. Add to that the chronic staffing shortages and emotional fatigue common in healthcare, which leaves more people isolated and exhausted.”
Why connection matters
Eventually, a lack of connection is going to seep into every department at your organization – especially in your sales team. A lack of human connection erodes trust, weakens collaboration, and kills team morale. “In sales, relationships are everything – not just with clients, but within the team. Workers with lower levels of connection have a stronger intention to quit and a higher chance of job-seeking, as well as more missed days at work, 45% lower productivity, and lower quality of work.”
As hard as it can be for those who have regular hours in the office, it’s even more challenging for the road warriors to build connections with their team. Poswolsky found that joining a community of like-minded, professional keynote speakers gave him the opportunity to connect and engage with people who understand his job and the industry.
“I always have someone to text or call – when things are going well, and more importantly, when I’m down or struggling,” he said. “Employees who have a best friend at work are seven more times engaged at work – if you do not have a close friend at work, there is only a one in 12 chance that you will be engaged.”
Part of the challenge with pushing engagement is the lack of understanding on leadership’s part about why this kind of thing is important. Many leaders are looking for results, while others are simply too busy to foster environments where engagement is a priority. Why doesn’t connection seem to matter to leadership teams?
Poswolsky said, “Many leaders still think of human connection as a soft skill, but in today’s disconnected world, human connection is not just a nice-to-have. Especially in sales, where relationships fuel success, human connection is an essential business skill that impacts the bottom line.”
By ignoring or misunderstanding the warning signs, leadership teams are doing themselves and their teams a disservice. Building organically engaging environments is a huge and challenging undertaking, but it will provide a huge return on investment. “More leaders are waking up to the reality that belonging and well-being are tied directly to performance and the bottom line. Connection doesn’t just happen when people are together, or once a year at an offsite or a conference in Vegas. It requires monthly, weekly, and daily intention and action,” Poswolsky said.
Practical ways to build connection
Building connections with your team might be easier said than done. With all the moving pieces that come with managing a team and running a business, especially in a healthcare setting, it might seem like making time to build connections isn’t a huge priority. If that’s the case, it might be time to readjust your thinking. Poswolsky shared four practical ways that you and your team can build better connections to improve engagement:
- Don’t always talk about work – Making everything about work can greatly limit your team’s ability to work. Spend a moment to let small talk and personal updates take center stage during meetings for a simple way to develop deeper connections. “For sales teams, start meetings with a quick personal check-in or a gratitude round. As things like, ‘How’s everyone holding up today? How was your weekend? Is there anything on your mind that you want to share?’”
- Pick up the phone – It’s so easy to default to sending texts, instant messages or emails to your team, but it lacks the human touch of a phone call. By picking up the phone, you’re not only being intentional about building a connection, but you can also better understand your teammates without the nuance of text communications. “Don’t just send emails or texts – pick up the phone or video chat with your team regularly. A 10-minute call to debrief after a big client visit helps keep you plugged in.”
- Share wins – Celebrate each other! Sharing wins allows you and your team to truly celebrate victories small and large, because that’s how you measure true success. If we’re taking things one step at a time, why wouldn’t we rejoice at every new step taken? “Don’t wait for the huge milestones or annual targets, celebrate the little moments along the way. Research shows that thriving means celebrating the little wins along the way, the things we don’t often think are a big deal.”
- Be you – People want to see the real you! Authenticity fosters connection, so take measures to ensure that what makes you unique isn’t being lost in trying to make a sale. Your authenticity will go so much further than a pitch ever could. “Prioritize authenticity over a pitch. Take time to understand your customers and your team’s challenges on a human level. Ask questions about their family or their kids. When people feel seen and heard, trust becomes possible.”