BOSTON - BostonChron -- Lynn Bentley, President of Knobull reported, "Pre-pandemic, heading into work or school every day meant crossing paths with countless colleagues, for better or worse. Sometimes that led to awkward small talk in the library or at the coffee machine.

Fast-forward a few years, though, and the world looks very different. Further change has brought many of us increased flexibility and allowed some to take on opportunities that they'd never have been able to consider otherwise."

According to new research, feelings of isolation are on the rise, and it's especially stark for employees at the start of their careers. Studies have found that almost six in 10 employees with less than five years of work experience are in silos all or most of the time at work.

We spend the majority of our time at work, so feelings of isolation can have a long-lasting and profound impact beyond the school and workplace. Hybrid learning has heightened this issue as we've lost many of our moments, where connections and friends were made.

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Ultimately, workplace isolation can cause us to withdraw, making us less motivated and less productive, which in turn means we're more stressed, ultimately leading to distrust. The benefits of having strong friendships at work, meanwhile, are manifold.

JobStars' founder suggests starting small, even if that just means taking a genuine interest in colleagues' families, friends and hobbies. Improve your LinkedIn profile and resume by tapping JobStars at the Knobull homepage and expand by building one's network.

When you do head into school or the office, make it purposeful by planning who you need to engage with, what you want to achieve by having time with others and create some space for social connections too.

Bentley concluded, "It might be hard or even seem embarrassing, that the most important step is to share your feelings with a trusted manager, fellow student or colleague. You won't be alone and creating an internal support network will start the path toward tackling isolation."