[Jjinbit] Do You Have a Best Friend at Work?

Office Workers Without Someone to Share Their Feelings With "Do Not Recognize Isolation"
Gallup Survey on 'Having a Best Friend at Work'... "Human Nature"
Social Safety Nets Needed to Alleviate Isolation

Editor's Note[Jjinbit] is a shortened form of 'Jung Hyunjin's Business Trend' and 'Real Business Trend,' a segment that showcases trends in changes in work.

"It feels like you have to be lucky." A friend who read the special report on youth isolation 24 hours said that just having someone at work to confide in seems to be a matter of luck. She, a woman in her mid-30s and a single-person household worker for 10 years, confessed that the cases in the article closely resembled her own situation and made her realize she was isolated. She wants to relieve the frustration she cannot resolve at work by meeting friends or family, but said, "Because of frequent overtime, even making a single phone call after work becomes a 'sorry' moment." She also added, "There are probably many people who don't even recognize that they are isolated."

An office worker is walking through an alley in Seoul, bathed in the afternoon sunlight. Photo by Heo Young-han

There are quite a few workers in situations similar to my acquaintance. In a survey on 'worker isolation' conducted by Asia Economy and Blind, one out of two workers admitted that their sense of isolation has worsened since starting their job. Although they spend more than eight hours a day at the company, it is difficult to find someone trustworthy to share their feelings with. The situation is even more serious if they live away from family and friends to focus solely on work in a different region. This is why it is hard to easily say that someone is 'not isolated' just because they meet many people throughout the day.

After the article was published, cynical responses followed, questioning whether it is necessary to have someone at work to confide in. The question was raised whether it is enough to just focus on work in a place where everyone is there to earn a living, and if there is any need to build relationships or friendships. Comments such as "Workplace is the wild," and "Just listen and don't speak out loud" reflect these reactions.

About ten years ago, a similar reaction was experienced by a place: the global public opinion research firm Gallup. Gallup conducts an annual survey asking workers if they have a 'best friend at work.' In the mid-2000s, based on interviews with 10 million managers and employees, Gallup created 12 questions to evaluate management status, and the tenth question was exactly this one. As soon as the question was revealed, controversy erupted. Questions and criticisms arose about what connection 'friendship' among employees at work, not school, has with productivity. It is said that executives who commissioned the survey based on the 12 questions asked why this question was necessary when they received the results.

Jim Harter, Gallup's Chief Scientist who created the 12 questions, evaluated, "Executives who think employee friendship is not their business do not properly understand human nature." He explained that in modern society, where social activities outside of work are decreasing, if employees become isolated at work, their sense of belonging and performance decrease, and the likelihood of turnover increases. As an example, evidence was presented from a power company where solidarity among team members contributed to lowering accident rates by making each other more mindful of wearing safety helmets. This is an intangible value created when employees are socially connected.

Humans are social animals. Even in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining attention and robots are applied in various tasks, if many workers are isolated without colleagues to share their feelings with, not only individuals but society as a whole beyond the workplace will inevitably rot. The reality that you have to be 'lucky' to meet someone to share your feelings with must change now. We hope for a society where social connections are firmly established and a safety net is in place to reach out whenever someone becomes isolated.

Check your level of loneliness and risk of social isolation

-Loneliness and Social Isolation Scale

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