Every spring, our department has partnered with a local community organization to clean up an urban park down the road from our hospital. On a Saturday morning in April, we pick up trash where there are wonderful murals celebrating past Kansas Citians, a busy disc golf course, and multiple playgrounds and ball fields. The labor is tough, but there are many laughs and a lunch to follow. Our employees bring their families; it’s a great way to show my kids the importance of belonging and contributing to a community.
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May 2022This year, with COVID-19 cases at an all-time low here, we circulated the sign-up expecting a robust turnout. To my surprise and disappointment, in a department of over 250 employees, a grand total of two signed up. What’s going on?
It got me thinking about what the pandemic has done to our social relationships. We’ve all gotten used to some form of social isolation. Initially, it started with the ease of working from home. There are aspects that will remain long after the pandemic is over—I certainly don’t miss all the 6 p.m. hospital conferences and weekday work dinner meetings. Social gatherings have also been put on the back burner. But has the pendulum swung too far? Have we embraced the isolationism to a degree that’s detrimental to our communities and future selves?
Older research has shown that people who have meaningful social connections are happier, have fewer health issues, suffer less depression, and live longer. (PLoS Med. 2010;7:e1000316) A study published in 2021 looked at the effects of perceived social isolation during the pandemic and showed similar results. Social isolation was associated with poor life satisfaction across all domains, as well as work-related stress and lower trust of institutions and businesses (Humanit Soc Sci Commun. Published online January 27, 2021. doi:10.1057/s41599-021-00710-3).
Prior to the pandemic, many communities realized that building platforms for social connections was important, especially for those who felt marginalized. More public green spaces were built, schools created classes on the importance of building and maintaining relationships, and community-based organizations built programs to encourage socializing.
Now that we’re exiting the pandemic stage, it’s time to brainstorm ways to build back our connections to each other and with our local communities. I imagine that greater social connections in the workplace will result in a better work environment that translates into employee engagement, less turnover, better patient satisfaction scores, and a greater buy-in to the mission.
How we do this will be a challenge. Is it okay to assume that life will go back to how it used to be, that the activities and parties can resume and we can rebuild and foster new relationships traditionally? Or have the comforts of working from home changed our employees’ perception going forward? Is there a digital medium that can keep the same sense of community that in-person meetings give?
Our annual spring clean-up may have been a miss this year, but it was a necessary wake-up call. Over the next few months, we’ll work together to bring our department and community back together. I encourage you all to do the same in your local environments, and I look forward to hearing about your success stories. Thanks for listening, and I wish you and your communities the best of health.
—Alex