Paul Welty, PhD AI, WORK, AND STAYING HUMAN

Bookmark: Workplace Loneliness Isn’t Getting Better [New Data]

Discover new data revealing the rise of workplace loneliness and its impact on mental health. Explore effective solutions to foster connection at work.

I’ve just read an eye-opening piece from aaask on the persistent issue of workplace loneliness. The article examines how both remote and on-site workers are experiencing a disconnect despite numerous communication tools. It’s particularly striking how this loneliness is affecting mental health and career growth. Their exploration of solutions like increased virtual check-ins and casual conversations is well worth a look.

“In fact, 76% of people said workplace loneliness has negatively impacted their mental health, with 40% adding that the impact had been severe.”

Workplace Loneliness Isn’t Getting Better [New Data]


Featured writing

Why customer tools are organized wrong

This article reveals a fundamental flaw in how customer support tools are designed—organizing by interaction type instead of by customer—and explains why this fragmentation wastes time and obscures the full picture you need to help users effectively.

Infrastructure shapes thought

The tools you build determine what kinds of thinking become possible. On infrastructure, friction, and building deliberately for thought rather than just throughput.

Server-Side Dashboard Architecture: Why Moving Data Fetching Off the Browser Changes Everything

How choosing server-side rendering solved security, CORS, and credential management problems I didn't know I had.

Books

The Work of Being (in progress)

A book on AI, judgment, and staying human at work.

The Practice of Work (in progress)

Practical essays on how work actually gets done.

Recent writing

We always panic about new tools (and we're always wrong)

Every time a new tool emerges for making or manipulating symbols, we panic. The pattern is so consistent it's almost embarrassing. Here's what happened each time.

Dev reflection - February 03, 2026

I've been thinking about constraints today. Not the kind that block you—the kind that clarify. There's a difference, and most people miss it.

When execution becomes cheap, ideas become expensive

This article reveals a fundamental shift in how organizations operate: as AI makes execution nearly instantaneous, the bottleneck has moved from implementation to decision-making. Understanding this transition is critical for anyone leading teams or making strategic choices in an AI-enabled world.

Notes and related thinking

Article analysis: Amazon Indicates Employees Can Quit If They Don't Like Its Return-to-Office Mandate

Amazon tells employees unhappy with its return-to-office policy to seek other jobs, highlighting tensions between corporate mandates and remote work...

Bookmark: Dell’s CEO, Michael Dell, Requires Full In-Office Work Starting From March

Dell CEO Michael Dell mandates full in-office work from March, emphasizing the benefits of face-to-face collaboration for improved team performance.

Article analysis: The AI Advantage: Why Return-To-Office Mandates Are A Step Back

Explore how return-to-office mandates hinder workplace progress and trust, while AI-driven hybrid models boost employee morale and productivity.