Lonely staff at a major pharmacy chain are being paid $100 to take time off and text a friend—welcome to Sweden’s ‘friendship hour’
- Posted on January 7, 2026
- By Fortune
- 3 Views
Lonely staff at a major pharmacy chain are being paid $100 to take time off and text a friend—welcome to Sweden’s ‘friendship hour’
Pharma chain Apotek Hjärtat is footing the bill for its employees to text their friends, go out to lunch, or catch up over a phone call. It could help combat the $154 billion workplace isolation issue.
