As the US navigates what some experts have described as a loneliness epidemic, employers and employees across the country are trying to address what for many people is a lack of real friendships at work. It's not a new thing, but remote work has only intensified the problem, says leadership expert Michael Bungay Stanier. "People have this desire to be seen and be heard," Bungay Stanier says, but on video calls, the group gets right down to business rather than having the natural, informal interactions of a real room. It reduces people to "little heads in squares." It's not easy to talk about this lack of friendship at work "because it feels like a shameful confession," Bungay Stanier says. But his clients are beginning to bring up the subject. Awkward as it may be, these are conversations worth having, according to psychology professor Laurie Santos. At-work friendships are good for employers, too. Santos says research shows that workplace friendships and a sense of belonging are vital to employees' happiness — and companies' success. We assume that friendships at work are "a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have," she said. But "maybe one of the reasons we're all so disengaged at work ... is that we're actively not investing in the thing that might matter the most for our happiness at work, which is our connection with other people," Santos said. Some large companies began paying more attention to employee health long before the pandemic, often focusing on physical health. Today, more employers are looking at ways to really improve people's mental health and well-being. And experts say there is a lot that companies can do, even rethinking physical spaces in the offices with relationships in mind. More than anything, remember the importance of everyday greetings at work — even if they make you a bit uncomfortable. A simple hello, Bungay Stanier says, could be the beginning of the end of loneliness.