If you think your organisation is free from loneliness, think twice.

In today’s fast-paced environments, loneliness and disconnection can manifest in many forms—impacting employees, managers, and volunteers alike. Loneliness can be a psychosocial hazard, leading to emotional harm, increased stress levels, and even contributing to insurance claims.

The 2025 Friends for Good Symposium will delve into innovative strategies to address these challenges, fostering a workplace culture that prioritises genuine connections and resilience at every level of your organisation.

Through expert-led sessions, interactive workshops, and real-world case studies, this event will explore how to identify and break down the silos that drive disconnection, cultivating inclusive and supportive workplaces. Learn practical tools to enhance collaboration, promote a shared sense of purpose, and empower both team members and volunteers to thrive.

Whether you manage staff, lead a large volunteer base, or oversee a mix of both, this symposium is tailored to provide actionable insights that help combat workplace loneliness and build meaningful, lasting connections.

Event highlights:

Understanding the impact: Explore how loneliness leads to lower productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover, costing the Australian economy an estimated $2.7 billion annually.
The stigma of loneliness: Learn how 84% of people associate loneliness with shame and embarrassment, and people who feel lonely report less work productivity and more activity impairment compared with people who are not lonely.
It can be lonely at the top, too: Discuss the role of leadership in breaking the stigma around loneliness, where a significant 50% of CEOs report feeling lonely, impacting their performance.
Strategic interventions: Learn actionable strategies and best practices to create a more connected and supportive work environment.
Networking and collaborative solutions: Engage with other forward-thinking leaders who are committed to making a difference.

Key topics include:

Addressing the unique challenges of loneliness for leaders.
Uncovering the hidden impacts of loneliness on the workforce and in volunteer cohorts.
Recognising and addressing signs of loneliness with effective support strategies.
Creating an inclusive culture that promotes open communication and connection, particularly for youth transitioning to the workplace, remote staff, and workers from diverse backgrounds, including migrant and LGBTQI+ employees.
Implementing tailored team-building and social activities to boost connectivity and engagement, recognising that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

PROGRAM

Hosted by Friends for Good, a not-for-profit dedicated to reducing loneliness across Australia, we aim to equip managers, leaders and HR managers with the necessary insights and tools to combat loneliness effectively in various industries.

Thank you to our sponsors

We are pleased to acknowledge Gadens as a valued sponsor of this symposium. As a leading Australian law firm, Gadens brings a wealth of expertise, with a team of over 100 partners and 800 professionals across offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.

A warm thank you to our wonderful venue sponsors, VeriU Queen Victoria Market. Veriu are a bespoke collection of hotels, each unique, all designed to connect our guests with the true character of the local neighbourhoods they inhabit.

We are indebted to our sponsor, City Precinct. City Precinct plays a vital role in fostering a connected and thriving small business community in Melbourne’s city centre. Through networking events, marketing opportunities, and strong ties with the City of Melbourne, they support independent retailers, hospitality businesses, and service providers that make our city unique.