We know the pace of work is increasing. Globalisation has accelerated it. Technology has accelerated it. AI is accelerating it further. And many workplace cultures still reward the same things: working harder, moving faster, being constantly available, and doing more with less.
On the surface, that can look like progress. Faster communication. Greater efficiency. More output. But speed does not necessarily correlate with better performance.
Pace doesn’t determine progress. In fact, a faster pace can simply take you in the wrong direction more quickly.
Have we built for speed at the cost of connection?
In our State of Workplace Wellbeing Report 2026, we surfaced a set of findings that gave me pause, and should do the same for every leader.
Our 2026 findings are informed by proprietary data drawn from our wellbeing scorecards, based on feedback from more than 1,640 individuals across 300+ organisations. The dataset helps us understand both the strategies organisations have in place and the lived experience of wellbeing across teams and for individuals.
From those responses, we found that only 9% of employees report managing work, life and recovery very well, while 36% say they are struggling. That figure has worsened by a further 14% on the previous year. This means more than a third of people feel overwhelmed. In real terms, that could be a third of your team, a third of your department, or a third of your organisation who are not coping well.
1 in 3 people feels like a lot, don’t you agree?
Modern ways of working are amplifying disconnection
Connection at work is under pressure, not because people value it less, but because the conditions that allow it to form have been steadily eroded. Through our Scorecard, we asked people how well they felt they connected with others and built supportive relationships.
In 2025:
- 28% said they did this very well
- 30% said reasonably well
- 42% said they found it hard
Compare that with the previous year.
In 2024:
- 23% said they did this very well
- 50% said reasonably well
- 27% said they found it hard
Hybrid, remote and modern ways of work have amplified disconnection, and the result is loneliness has risen to 22% globally (Gallup). Our own data suggests this goes beyond occasional isolation and points to a broader connection erosion problem. Fewer people now say they are building supportive relationships reasonably well, while significantly more say they are finding it hard. That matters because when connection starts to erode, trust, collaboration and resilience tend to erode with it.
The hidden cost of speed over connection
The risk is not simply lower morale or a weaker culture, though those matter too. The real risk is diminished performance.
Connection is how trust forms.
Trust is how information flows.
Information flow is how good decisions get made.
When connection becomes eroded, organisations begin to pay a hidden tax: slower learning, poorer judgement and increased risk.
This is one of the most important workplace paradoxes right now. As work becomes more automated and efficient, the human elements that remain become more important, not less.
Judgement. Ethics. Creativity. Collaboration.
These are the capabilities that increasingly differentiate people and organisations. And every one of them depends on strong relationships.
Cultures geared to output, not outcomes
Many organisations are still operating in ways that prioritise pace and output over connection and outcomes. They may have excellent systems for remote working. They may have productive hybrid structures. They may have all the tools needed to share information, assign tasks and track performance.
But productivity infrastructure is not the same as relational infrastructure.
You can have seamless systems and still have siloed teams.
You can have constant communication and still lack trust.
You can have high activity and still have low progress.
Why connection is not a soft skills issue, it is a performance issue
The business case is really clear: highly engaged teams deliver 23% higher profitability and 78% lower absenteeism, according to Gallup. These are significant gains, but they are hard to unlock when people do not feel supported, connected or psychologically safe.
And that is why connection is not a soft issue. It is a performance issue.
So this is the question I would leave with you:
Have you built a culture designed for speed, or one designed for connection at pace?
Because I do not think the answer is to slow everything down. Nor is it to romanticise the past or assume that older ways of working were better. The challenge is more nuanced than that.
The real opportunity is to build organisations that can move quickly without losing the human connection that makes sustainable high performance possible.
That means asking better questions.
Are your systems only helping people work more efficiently, or are they helping them build trust?
Are your hybrid practices only improving flexibility, or are they strengthening relationships?
Are your leaders creating clarity and pace, but also belonging and psychological safety?
Connection makes sustained high-performance possible
These are not side issues. They are central to how people perform, how teams collaborate, and how organisations make good decisions under pressure.
Connection is not separate from performance. It is one of the conditions that makes sustained high-performance possible.
Download the State of Workplace Wellbeing Report 2026 to explore the full findings and reflect on what they mean for your people, your culture and the way work is designed.
Is your organisation grappling with disconnection, hybrid fatigue or a weakening sense of belonging?
My BOND keynote helps organisations understand why it matters and explores how to strengthen connection, trust and belonging in ways that support both wellbeing and performance.
