Gallup 2024 State of the Global Workplace report finds that one in five employees worldwide feels loneliness at work. As many organizations migrated to remote or virtual workspaces, some leaders began sensing that distant staffers were suffering from a kind of remote office loneliness.
That is to say, they miss the informal conversations with colleagues and their companionship. They may at first have looked forward to the advantages of a remote workspace: No crawling on the freeway, drinking your own coffee, seeing more of the family, and the lack of those constant office distractions.
However, a coaching-minded leader must be aware of the downside of virtual loneliness among staff. It can affect productivity. In the Harvard Business Review magazine from November to December 2024, Constance N. Hadley and Sarah L. Wright addressed social disconnection at work. They consider that despite growing awareness and effort, loneliness at work persists.
They suggest creating a culture of connection by building socializing into the rhythm of work: offering happy hours, lunches, networking programs, well-being initiatives, employee social groups, and off-sites. Those who reported not feeling lonely said that “their employers offered a frequent and robust set of social opportunities.”
When leaders hire new team members, they need to find what the new employees need to feel part of the team and connected to the organization. This goes beyond being remote. When this is overlooked, engagement and sense of belonging may be diminished.
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