According to a November study conducted by analytics company Perceptyx, more than 2,000 surveyed employees reported experiencing feelings of loneliness in the workplace. Over 40% of respondents reported experiencing feelings of loneliness in the workplace.

According to the study, men are twice as likely as women to express feeling very lonely, with senior leaders reported experiencing more chronic feelings of isolation compared to lower-level managers within the organizational hierarchy.

Airbnb's Informal Pair-ups for Stronger Support

This might not be a big deal for Airbnb employees, who may find themselves informally paired up at work due to a practice implemented by the company's CEO, Brian Chesky.

Chesky, who co-founded the short-term accommodation platform in 2008, recently appeared on the ReThinking with Adam Grant podcast and mentioned that he has an informal tendency to pair individuals within his team to provide them with an additional layer of support, especially among new hires.

Four years ago, two creative directors were hired and collaborated as a duo. One primarily served as a creative director, while the other focused more on writing. While this working arrangement is common in creative advertising, the concept of a working duo made an impression on Chesky, and Chesky began contemplating its applicability in other domains. He recognized that individuals often struggle to be unicorns, possessing all the necessary skills and attributes, but believed that forming duos could effectively complement each other's strengths.

Repercussions of Workplace Isolation

According to Cigna Healthcare's Loneliness Index, employers incur losses of $154 billion annually due to absenteeism. This could be alleviated if individuals across all levels of the organization, from trainees to the C-suite, felt they had someone to rely on for support.

Chesky had never previously considered how this natural practice could address workplace isolation. However, he believes that providing individuals with a shared journey, particularly for new employees attempting to integrate into the team and may feel like outsiders, could cultivate a feeling of belonging within the workplace.

READ ALSO: How You Can Effectively Reduce Employee Absenteeism

Work Duo, Not Siblings

Although Chesky once likened his employees to family, he has since retracted that characterization as he faced a corporate decision to lay off around a quarter of Airbnb's workforce, totaling approximately 1,900 individuals in 2020 amidst the pandemic's onset.

In announcing the layoffs, Chesky expressed a "deep feeling of love" for his staff, which may have appeared contradictory to those losing their positions. The CEO of the Fortune 500 company has since altered his approach within the company, shifting from emphasizing familial relationships to close professional connections. Chesky expressed his genuine emotions at the time and realized that a company will never be a family because it fires people.

Despite the layoffs, he felt a responsibility to ensure that departing employees did not feel wholly severed from Airbnb, highlighting that they left with equity and valuable experience in their resumes, with an established alumni network so they could maintain mutual connections.

RELATED ARTICLE: Airbnb CEO's Loyalty-Building Concept: "You Don't Fire Members of Your Family"