This week my first work appointment was to jump on a webinar hosted by Smiley Poswolsky. He’s a workplace belonging expert who helps organisations create a culture of human connection.

He believes creating a culture of belonging is essential to overcome significant workplace challenges we face now and are emerging into the near future. 

 Key insights I took away from his presentation were:

• There are five generations in the workforce right now – Silent (1928-45), Baby Boomers (1946-64), Gen X (1964-80), Millennials (1981-96), Gen Z (1997-2012)

• In less than five years Millennials and Gen Z will make up roughly 70% of the workforce, following the eventual retirement of Baby Boomers

• Studies show 50% of Gen Z live with high levels of anxiety

• The average attention span of Gen Z university students is 19 seconds. Holding the attention span of the younger generation is a key challenge in the workplace

• The average employee switches between applications 1,100 times a day

• Studies show four out of five men don’t have a significant friend for social support – it’s referred to as a ‘friendship recession’

• It takes ~90 hours of connection to develop a friendship

• According to a World Economic Forum report, a significant number of employees express anxiety about their ability to adapt to AI in the workplace and want more direction, training and support from their employers

Smiley shared his thoughts on three key realities shaping the future of work and I’ve added the opportunity to take action to respond to it:

Reality #1: People are feeling overwhelmed and worried by AI

Opportunity: Create a safe space for dialogue and experimentation to foster a human – AI enabled partnership

Reality #2: We are facing an epidemic of loneliness which will impact future productivity.

Opportunity: Design work for social interaction and embed collaboration into work goals, such as working jointly on challenging projects

Reality #3: We are experiencing a mental health crisis that will soon significantly impact how organisations function and problems are surfaced and addressed.

Opportunity: Normalise mental health conversations and create a culture that’s safe to speak up and be vulnerable, as well as supportive of pursuing challenging and meaningful work.