JLL‘s Ram Srinivasan takes us through the questions, fears and realities of the show taking the workplace by storm: “Severance.”
Imagine choosing a simple medical procedure that splits your consciousness in two. One version of you (your “innie”) exists only at work – focused, efficient, unburdened by personal concerns. The other (your “outie”) lives life outside, blissfully unaware of what happens during office hours. This is the premise of Apple TV+’s “Severance,” where employees undergo a voluntary procedure called “severance” to achieve the ultimate work-life separation.
The disturbing truth? We’re already living a version of this reality. Not through surgical intervention, but through digital fragmentation that’s equally profound. The average knowledge worker now switches between 13 different applications 30 times per day – a form of cognitive severance that’s becoming our new normal.
The marketing executive who switches personalities between Zoom calls.
The CEO maintaining two separate phones for work and life.
The engineer whose digital identity splinters across endless collaboration tools. Through my work advising Fortune 500 companies, I’ve watched this invisible severance accelerate, creating workplace transformations that rival science fiction.
The questions “Severance” confronts pierce straight to the heart of our professional future:
How do we preserve authentic human connection in an increasingly automated world? What happens when technology starts reshaping not just our capabilities, but our very identity? Where does our true self exist when work and life blur beyond recognition?
What’s fascinating is the unexpected pattern emerging from this digital divide. The more technology separates us, the more desperately we seek genuine human connection. JLL’s 2024 Experience Matters survey reveals a fascinating counter-revolution: despite (or perhaps because of) our drive towards digital transformation, 67% of people still crave in-person experiences over virtual ones. Even more telling, 65% are willing to pay a premium for high-quality personalized experiences, rising to 80% among millennials – a complete reversal of what many predicted for our digital future.
This isn’t just irony; it’s evolution. Through my research across global organizations, I’ve identified four critical dimensions that are reshaping our workplace reality:
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- Leadership and Authenticity: “A Handshake Is Available Upon Request.” this clinical offering from a manager in Season 1 perfectly captures the sterile, transactional nature of modern corporate leadership. The show’s bizarre waffle parties and music dance experiences brilliantly satirize corporate recognition programs, but this line cuts deeper, revealing how genuine human connection has been replaced by procedural gestures. McKinsey‘s research confirms this disconnect: 52% of employees leave their jobs primarily because they don’t feel valued by their managers.
- The Meaning Revolution: “The work is mysterious and important,” Lumon employees are told. I’ve noticed a striking pattern: The more automated and abstract our work becomes, the more desperately we seek meaning in it. This search for purpose explains Gallup’s recent survey findings: Employee connection to company mission hit a record low of 30%. We’re no longer satisfied with just a paycheck; we want our work to matter. This is a clarion call to leaders and executives. Organizations that excel at clarifying expectations see 9% higher profitability and 11% better work quality.
- AI: The Real Severance?: Here’s where things get really interesting. I’m seeing how artificial intelligence is creating a new kind of severance — not between our work and home selves but between human and automated work. We’re approaching a future where AI could handle our “work modes” while we focus on higher-order thinking and creativity. According to World Economic Forum, by 2030, work will be evenly balanced with 33% human-led, 34% technology-driven, 33% human-AI collaboration. This will force us to redefine what ‘work’ means entirely. The real severance isn’t between tasks, but between old and new definitions of human potential.
- The Connection Paradox: “A department like yours can go so good or so bad. You know what makes the difference? The people.” This truth echoes through our hybrid world. On the show, the severed workers forge profound bonds despite their isolation. Organizations are adopting a variety of approaches to solve for the connection challenge. JLL’s Future of Work survey reveals a striking split in how organizations are addressing this: 44% are now “Office advocates” (wanting full-time office presence) versus 56% being “Hybrid adopters.” This fundamental tension between connection approaches is reshaping how we think about workplace bonds.
The Path Forward
Tomorrow’s workplace demands three fundamental shifts:
- Experience-First Design: One banking client eliminated assigned desks to a large extent and created “hackable” spaces that teams configure based on their current projects. Their people now choose when and how to come together.
- Human-Centered Technology: Stop forcing collaboration tools on teams. Let them experiment with multiple platforms and adopt what works naturally. The best solutions emerge from user behavior, not top-down mandates.
- Intentional Community: Create opportunities for genuine connection, then get out of the way. Monthly cross-team projects, optional skill-sharing sessions and informal mentorship programs are all great ways to create community.
The revolution has already begun. In my conversations with leaders across industries, one theme emerges consistently:
The future belongs to organizations that embrace human complexity rather than trying to segment it.
The question is: How will you participate in shaping tomorrow’s workplace? What aspects of your organization need reimagining? When will you start?
The answers might unsettle you. Good. That’s where transformation begins.
