The human moment at work

and a recipe for sbrisolona, a delicious Italian almond tart

If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

—Bill Hull, Choose the Life

I started a new job in March of 2021. Interviews were conducted by Zoom, where the constraints of trying to make eye contact on a grid, not to mention adjusting for optimal lighting and background, posed their own unique challenges. Negotiations were done in an artificial environment, the nuances of conversation flattened to 2D. I signed on the proverbial dotted line with nary a handshake to make the moment human.

Fast forward to 2024 and the hackneyed phrase “the new normal” has come to pass. Hybrid work has been increasingly adopted, remote work is preferred and not meeting your colleagues in person for weeks or months at a time is unremarkable.

As someone who has chosen to be in the office just about full time since early 2022, I’ve been pondering the seismic shift that has happened with barely a brow being lifted. The benefits are undeniable. Remote work, fueled by a craving for flexibility, has upended traditional views on what it means to be productive and satisfied in one's career. It’s made family life more manageable, commuting nightmares disappear, reduced stress when the unexpected happens on a Tuesday morning. The demand for flexible work environments tops the list of priorities for many job seekers, signalling a profound shift in our expectations and desires.

But, still…

One is a lonely number

We humans are social creatures. I believe that even the most introverted of us really only grow and expand our thinking through human interaction. While the how may be different, still there is no denying that extended periods of being alone can have serious impacts on our spirits—and our wellbeing.

With an outsized focus on the pandemic and all of its consequences, it’s easy to forget that we were in the midst of a loneliness epidemic even before the first Covid-19 case was recorded. A report from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy—Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation—warned of the detrimental effects of loneliness. As Murthy says, “You can feel lonely even if you have a lot of people around you, because loneliness is about the quality of your connections."

The stakes of staying disconnected are higher than we might have imagined. The report’s conclusions are clear: lacking social ties isn't just a matter of feeling lonely. It significantly ups the ante for serious health issues—heart disease risk jumps by 29%, stroke by 32%, and for older adults, the chance of developing dementia soars by 50%. It's a wake-up call to prioritize our connections, for the sake of our hearts and minds.

We can work it out

We humans are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others’ actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others’ activities. For this reason it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others.”

—The Dalai Lama

So what about work and how does creating stronger connections and community at the proverbial office make us happier and healthier?

It is the serendipitous conversation, the overheard question, the impromptu meeting. It’s the stories recounted over after work drinks, the celebration of personal joys and the empathy of unexpected sorrows, the unlikely lifelong friendship formed over a shared love of murder mysteries and Rocky Road ice cream. A million little pieces of humanity, built over IRL moments.

Taken one by one, they may seem insignificant, but when a team of people start weaving these interconnected threads, magic can happen. Innovation thrives, personal growth happens, understanding forms and perhaps most importantly, a safety net of support develops, invisible but oh so comforting.

These connections are not just the icing on the cake—they are the cake, and worth every bite.

Sbrisolona

Suzanne Goin

Aside from gathering around the water cooler or coffee maker, office kitchens can be made even more convivial with the addition of homemade goodies. In the gloom of winter, I keep a bowl of seasonal mandarin oranges on my desk that guarantees little visits throughout the day. And of course bringing in a little something sweet every now and again is always welcome.

Sbrisolona, which hails from Lombardy in Italy, is an almond tart that resembles a giant cookie. It’s meant to be broken off in pieces and is a perfect bite any time of the day. Goin says the secret to this simple tart is not overworking the dough and pressing it into the pan with your hands. The dough needs to be rough, dry and loose.

ingredients

7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces, plus more for greasing pan

¾ cup raw almonds

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from 2 medium-size oranges)

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal

½ teaspoon kosher salt

⅓ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1. Heat oven to 450°F.

2. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter, and set aside. Spread almonds evenly on a baking sheet, and bake until lightly toasted, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack; let almonds cool slightly, about 15 minutes. (Do not turn oven off.) Coarsely chop almonds, and set aside.

3. Whisk together egg yolk, orange zest, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a small bowl, and set aside. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture. (Alternatively, rub butter pieces and flour mixture between your fingers until texture resembles a coarse meal.)

4. Stir granulated sugar, brown sugar, and chopped almonds into flour mixture. Using your hands, gently work egg yolk mixture into flour mixture until combined. (Dough should be crumbly.) Loosely pack dough crumbles into an even layer in prepared springform pan.

5. Bake at 350°F until tart is golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let tart cool completely, about 1 hour. Remove sides of springform pan, and release tart. Break tart into large pieces, and arrange on a platter to serve, or let everyone break off their own piece.