Michigan Business Beat | Mark Ostach - National Strategy to Advance Social Connection

Jeffrey Mosher welcomes back Mark Ostach, Digital Wellness Expert and author from Clarkston, Michigan. He works with Fortune 500 companies to reconnect in today's workplace. He wrote a book called “If You Really Knew Me, The Secret to Creating a Culture of Connection & Belonging”. INTRO to topic: The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in early May issued a rare advisory declaring an epidemic of loneliness and isolation and laid out a framework for a “National Strategy to Advance Social Connection.” National Digital Wellness and Human Connection Expert Mark Ostach who works with Fortune 500 companies to reconnect in the hybrid workplace, says vulnerability is the first step toward combating loneliness. As companies struggle with a growing sense of disconnection, Ostach’s programs include an icebreaker exercise that ignites the process of social connection in the workplace. According to the Surgeon General’s advisory, in recent years, one in two U.S. adults reported experiencing loneliness and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems. Question: Mark, are you surprised by the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory that we are in an epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation? What does this mean for the workplace? How does finding ways to foster a culture of social connection will help employees? More employees are disengaged not only in the workplace but also on the home front. Why is this a concern? The surgeon general’s advisory concludes that making social connections should be a strategic priority in the workplace at all levels. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Ostach has a packed schedule. He will be speaking with companies such as Nike, Rocket Mortgage, and education associations about fostering social connections. Mark, you have a program to help foster social connection in the workplace based on the BELL Method as a way to teach the basics of social connection. Mark, can you talk about this? The Surgeon General's adviso