A recent Glassdoor report reveals a troubling trend: loneliness is rising in workplaces, especially among younger employees. With 6 in 10 people with less than five years of experience feeling isolated, and social connections still struggling to recover from the pandemic, many say their companies have become less friendly. However, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky offers a promising solution to combat this issue.
In a conversation with Wharton psychologist Adam Grant on the ReThinking podcast, Mr Chesky proposed a strategy for managers. He suggested they identify pairs of employees who collaborate effectively and strategically place them on the same team.
"I often do pair people," he said. "Four years ago, we hired two creative directors. They worked together as like a duo... It worked so well that I started thinking about this notion of duos in other areas."
The Airbnb CEO shared that a tactic originally meant to improve work output took on a broader purpose over time.
"Sometimes it's just hard for one person to be a unicorn, to be able to do everything, but if you could create duos, they could cover each other's strengths," CNBC quoted him on the podcast. "So giving people a shared journey to be on together I think is really important... It's a brilliant idea."
Responding to this, Grant said that having one friend at work significantly reduces the odds of loneliness. "And what really hit home for me... was the idea that I don't always need to have a deep connection with everybody on my team. I need to have one person who I know has my back, who relies on me, as well as being someone that I can rely on," the psychologist said. "I think that we've designed so much of work around teams that we've overlooked the importance of relationships of pairs," he continued.
Featured Video Of The Day
"Sholay Mausi, Parasite": PM Modi's Big Attack On Congress In Parliament
"Company Is Not Family": Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Shares Mistake He Made During Layoffs "Need To Get Our House In Order", Says Airbnb CEO Airbnb Suspends All Operations in Russia and Belarus Amid Ukraine Crisis: CEO Brian Chesky Agniveer's Family Was Paid Rs 98 Lakh: Army After Rahul Gandhi's Claim Cabinet Panels Named, BJP Allies Get Highest Representation Since 2014 After Manipur Congress MP's Parliament Speech, BJP's "Core Issues" Jab "Indian Army Committed To Welfare Of Agniveers," Says Rajnath Singh Biden "Absolutely Not" Pulling Out Of US Presidential Race: White House 9 In 10 Gazans Displaced Since War Began: UN Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.