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Loneliness is often described as a ‘silent’ epidemic, but in the workplace, it’s becoming harder to ignore – and rightly so.
As employers, we must not only acknowledge the growing sense of disconnection among employees but also view this as a pivotal opportunity to reimagine belonging at work.
Recent research discovered that 53% of employees reported feeling lonelier now than before the pandemic. And what’s even more concerning is that 39% say they don’t have a single friend at work, a stark contrast to the age-old wisdom that workplace friendships are the glue of engagement, resilience, and retention.
We wanted to dig a bit deeper into this notion, so we turned to our LinkedIn community and asked if they believed that loneliness was a significant issue in their organization. Of the respondents, 70% recognized it as an issue of concern in their organization, whilst only 16% could say for sure that it wasn’t. These results are more than just numbers…they are a call to action.
Loneliness at work doesn’t just mean physically being alone. It manifests as:
While these realities are sobering, they also offer employers a unique opportunity to design workplaces that don’t just operate but connect.
Instead of viewing loneliness as a threat to productivity, it needs to be viewed as a signal that something in the culture, structure, or leadership style needs to evolve. Here’s how employers can begin:
Yes, the loneliness crisis is real. But it also presents an opportunity to humanise work in a way that hasn’t been done before. Connection is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a critical pillar of workplace wellbeing. And in nurturing it, we can turn a crisis of isolation into a movement of inclusion.
If you would like to discuss how we can help embed inclusion and camaraderie strategies into your workplace, please get in touch with us today!