Why so many of us feel lonely at work

Leaders have tried to sell work as ‘one big family’ for years. With the proliferation of terms like ‘office besties’ and ‘work spouses,’ many employees have viewed work as a type of family too. But anyone who has been passed over for a promotion they deserved or laid off after years of hard work knows the hard truth: Work isn’t your family. In fact, work can make people feel lonely by preventing them from connecting with their community, and some mental health experts have called loneliness a health epidemic. So, how can we prioritize our mental health and our ambition at the same time? How can we feel less alone at work and foster meaningful relationships while still protecting our ‘real lives’? To dig into these questions for answers, we talked with Ann Shoket, former editor-in-chief of ‘Seventeen’ magazine; author of ‘The Big Life,’ a guide for career-driven young women; and CEO of TheLi.st, a private community of innovators across media, technology, and business.