8 Ways to Combat the Silent Epidemic Hurting Your Company

There’s a silent epidemic sweeping through US companies that senior leaders can’t afford to ignore. It’s impacting younger male employees, in particular. And it’s called loneliness.

According to a new Gallup poll, men aged 15 to 34 are more likely than other Americans—and their peers in other wealthy nations—to report feeling lonely. Twenty-five percent of them said they felt lonely a lot of the previous day, significantly higher than the national average of 18% which was also the total for young women.

But loneliness is only one key area of concern impacting young men in the workplace. Some 57% say they feel stressed and 46% are worried every day, compared with 48% and 37% respectively of other adults.

Why does this matter so much?

The AllWork.Space News Team, a collective of experienced journalists, editors and industry analysts, reports that persistent emotional distress like loneliness and worry correlates strongly with reduced engagement, collaboration challenges, and poor mental health outcomes—all of which can affect productivity and workplace culture.

They write, “A workforce marked by disconnection and emotional strain is less likely to innovate, mentor effectively, or sustain healthy team dynamics. In extreme cases, unaddressed alienation can manifest as hostility, withdrawal, or resistance to organizational change, thus creating friction in increasingly diverse and collaborative work environments.

“If unaddressed, this wave of loneliness could affect everything from retention and recruitment to team cohesion. As the workforce becomes more hybrid, automated, and socially fragmented, the need for emotionally healthy, connected employees is growing.”

So what can senior executives do to combat this silent epidemic, especially since cultural expectations around stoicism and independence means young men are the least likely to seek help?

Normalize mental health conversations 

The stigma around male emotional expression remains strong, particularly in high-performance work environments. Leadership can break this cycle by modeling vulnerability. When male leaders openly discuss stress, therapy, or emotional fatigue, they signal that it’s safe for others to do the same.

Says Johnny C. Taylor Jr., CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), “Mental health struggles have historically been seen as a sign of weakness. ‘You can toughen up. You can make it.’ Would you say the same about someone with cancer? Mental health should be treated with the same attentiveness and care as physical health.”

Create platforms—town halls, Slack channels, manager one-on-ones—where employees can openly share emotional experiences without judgment or consequence.

Implement buddy programs 

From day one, ensure new or junior employees have built-in social support. Establish formal mentorship and buddy systems in which younger men are paired with experienced colleagues who can guide them and check in with them regularly. This helps newcomers integrate and feel less adrift.

Prioritize connection 

Leaders must move beyond a sole focus on tasks and actively cultivate one-on-one relationships with their team members—especially younger staff who may lack the confidence to reach out. Companies like Wegmans Food Markets have made this an official expectation: every people-manager is tasked with regular “listen and connect” sessions with their employees and relationship building is a metric on their performance evaluations.

Rebuild meaningful social bonds 

It’s time to move beyond “Zoom happy hours.” Young men don’t just need digital hangouts; they need structured, purposeful opportunities for connection.

Team projects, peer mentorship, volunteer initiatives, or cross-functional task forces give employees reasons to collaborate outside of formal hierarchies. For hybrid or remote teams, create “off-camera” experiences like virtual co-working or low-pressure social check-ins.

Train managers to spot social isolation 

Most managers aren’t trained to recognize loneliness. Yet frontline leaders are best positioned to identify withdrawn behavior, disengagement, or subtle cues of emotional struggle.

Train supervisors to spot red flags and initiate empathetic conversations. Provide scripts and scenario training to help managers check in without overstepping. Emotional intelligence training isn’t optional—it’s a workplace survival skill.

Rethink masculine norms  

Hypercompetitive, stoic, or hyper-masculine environments often discourage the very behaviors that would alleviate loneliness—vulnerability, empathy, connection.

Start by examining workplace norms: Are employees rewarded only for individual achievement? Are quiet, reserved employees overlooked for promotions? Do team rituals reinforce cliques or hierarchies?

Shift recognition practices to value empathy, mentorship, and collaboration—not just results. Ensure team rituals and success metrics reflect these priorities.

Offer digital well-being tools 

Young men are digital natives—but that doesn’t mean they’re digitally fulfilled. In fact, overuse of social media is correlated with increased loneliness.

Employers can offer digital wellness programs that address healthy screen time, digital detoxes, and real-world relationship building. Tools like BetterUp, Modern Health, or Unmind provide “social fitness” coaching—offering employees guidance on building authentic interpersonal skills, managing stress, and fostering belonging.

Create a culture of belonging—not just inclusion 

Inclusion means being invited to the table. Belonging means feeling valued once you’re there.

Young men struggling with disconnection may technically be “included” in teams or projects but still feel unseen or undervalued. Leaders must go beyond representation and ensure people feel emotionally secure, respected, and understood.

Use pulse surveys, stay interviews, and anonymous feedback loops to regularly assess belonging. Act swiftly and visibly on feedback to demonstrate commitment.

A final word 

The silent epidemic of loneliness among young men in the workplace is more than a mental health concern—it’s a looming threat to organizational stability, innovation, and long-term success. Left unaddressed, it can quietly erode team cohesion, dampen morale, and diminish productivity from the inside out. But this crisis is not insurmountable.

By taking intentional steps to build connections, challenge outdated norms, and create environments where vulnerability is met with support—not stigma—leaders can turn the tide. Combating this epidemic starts at the top, with executives who recognize that emotional wellbeing is not a private issue, but a collective responsibility. In the modern workplace, connection is not a luxury. It’s the foundation on which thriving cultures are built.

Written by Jason Richmond.
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