How Businesses Can Address Social Isolation

Brought to the forefront during the last few years, social and emotional isolation is not a new health issue. In fact, the loneliness that many people face due to isolation, and the resulting personal and professional side effects, has been a health care concern for a long time—and is becoming an even larger issue as Baby Boomers age and more people work remotely.

According to The Cigna Group, 58% of American adults describe themselves as lonely. Isolation in elderly populations is associated with health risks, cognitive decline, dementia and other serious medical conditions. In the workplace, lonely employees are more likely to perform poorly in their role and in interactions with their team.

The Role of Businesses

Behind every business is a collection of people—customers and employees—who keep it running. Consider how this social epidemic—and efforts to combat it—are most relevant to your organization.

If you work in the health care industry, reaching out to aging or severely ill patients is a great place to start. However, regardless of industry, any and all organizations who employ or serve

people who are disabled with limited opportunities to work outside the home, deployed service members and their families and fully remote workforces should reflect on the role they can play in addressing social isolation and loneliness.

Lead with Empathy to Build Social Connections

For those who feel lonely, staying connected can feel difficult or even impossible. That’s why you need to embrace opportunities to reach out in ways that feel authentic and allow people who don’t connect easily—even with family members and friends—to be reminded there are reasons to engage.

To support those who are socially isolated and improve loneliness, we must work towards a more emotionally connected world. By extending conversations and deepening relationships, we strengthen social ties and make people feel like they are truly seen, heard and appreciated.

See What A Card Can Do

Hallmark greeting cards are uniquely capable of making deep emotional connections. By sending a meaningful greeting card, you can bring Hallmark moments to the business world, going beyond transactional exchanges.

Testimonials from card recipients make it clear—short personal messages can make a significant emotional impact.

Plus, industry findings and real results from real clients show just how powerful a card can be.

Reason to Believe

Although the effects of social isolation are far reaching, with everything from interpersonal relationships to business outcomes suffering, greeting cards can make the recipient stop, read and react. The very real act of going to the mail and seeing a card can help make someone’s day, and that’s how businesses across industries can help respond to this need for greater social connections.