Loneliness has become so prevalent that the U.S. Surgeon General referred to loneliness and isolation as an epidemic affecting productivity and engagement in schools, workplaces, and civic organizations. According to the 2023 Work in America Survey by the American Psychological Association, 26% of employees—both working in offices and remotely—reported feeling lonely and isolated at work.
With 167 million people in the United States’ labor force as of May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are clearly many lonely people sitting behind computer screens and along factory lines.
Jennice Chewlin, owner of Chewlin Group, a NH-based consultancy focused on improving workplace well-being through training, coaching, and strategy development, says many of those people may be hiding their feelings of loneliness. Creating a workplace culture of belonging is crucial, she says. “If you want to improve workplace wellbeing and reduce loneliness start with belonging,” she says, citing a recent American Psychological Association report. “Twenty percent of respondents to an APA survey said they did not feel like they belonged at work when asked.”
From a financial perspective, loneliness often results in disengaged employees, lower productivity and decreased performance, costing businesses an estimated $154 billion annually in stress-related absenteeism alone in 2019, according to the Cigna Group’s Loneliness Index.
Stuart Lustig, the national medical executive for behavioral health strategy and product design at Evernorth, a division of the Cigna Group, says when people are feeling lonely and disconnected, whether they work for a small or a large company, those employees are more likely to quit. “This happens when people feel disconnected from others and with their work,” he says. “We’re social beings by nature and want to feel connected and be with others at least some of the time.”
Tackling Loneliness Post-COVID
Loneliness became a huge problem during the COVID-19 pandemic, when offices across the country closed, sending people home to bedrooms, dining rooms and whatever spaces they could find. Chewlin says COVID exposed problems with workplace wellbeing that had been simmering for years. “There was a need to identify and prevent burn out,” she says. Chewlin, whose background is in public health, started Chewlin Group in 2022. “COVID taught workplaces they can’t keep doing business as usual and for those companies that made employee wellbeing a priority, they’re seeing the most benefit today.”
And even as companies and workers adjusted to the “new normal” following the pandemic, loneliness in the workplace remains as prevalent as ever. Maggie Pritchard, CEO of Lakes Region Mental Health Center in Laconia and president of the NH Community Behavioral Health Association, says, “Feelings of loneliness at work are on the rise post-pandemic, both for our mental health workforce and the patients we see, [and] we likely won’t know the full extent of the crisis for years.”
Remote work since the pandemic created more flexibility for employees and allowed businesses to reduce travel and office expenses, but it also affects peoples’ ability to stay connected, says Pritchard. “Remote work significantly changed workplace culture. People experienced unprecedented isolation,” she says.
Sue Drolet, chief human resource officer for Lakes Region Mental Health, says workforce flexibility that provides more autonomy can also lead to isolation for some people. “If someone is feeling lonely at work, especially if they work remotely, they should reach out to a co-worker, schedule a meeting, phone call, or lunch,” she says. “There is a balance that can be achieved.”
Understanding and Combating Workplace Loneliness
Being proactive is one way to combat workforce loneliness. At Mainstay Technologies in Manchester, talking about loneliness and wellbeing is built into the company’s monthly checkins with its 100 employees. President Jason Golden says Mainstay creates opportunities for connection and belonging. “We are very intentional about creating systems of communication,” Golden says. “You can’t force connections, but you can force opportunities.”
Mainstay holds lunch and learn sessions allowing employees to connect with each other and offers quarterly outings, including to Funtown Splashtown USA in Maine.
Golden and his team are aware of the potential for burnout, particularly for service companies like Mainstay. “We watch overtime, including billable client hours, to make sure there’s a good work-life balance,” he says. “And we’ve been very intentional in the past year about training our leadership in the idea of radical respect,” which involves honoring individuality, rather than demanding conformity and creating opportunities for collaboration, not coercion. “We’re super intentional about creating as many opportunities as we can to eliminate loneliness and increase connection,” Golden says.
Pritchard says companies are increasing such efforts. “People, including legislators, are recognizing that mental health is a major priority,” she says. “The younger workforce, ‘Gen Z’ for example, is more comfortable asking for help or mental health days at work. This is helping to normalize it and reduce stigma.”
Companies are also reaching out to experts for assistance. Chewlin Group facilitates conversations with companies by helping them make informed decisions about increasing potential opportunities for employee engagement and wellbeing. “[People] often confuse feeling lonely with being alone,” Chewlin says, citing the Surgeon General’s definition of loneliness, which is rooted in feelings of disconnection and a lack of belonging. “There’s often a deficit of connection.”
Loneliness is a normal human experience, as much as happiness, joy, or hunger, Chewlin says, adding that it is often hidden. “There’s stigma attached to this feeling,” she says. “People feel others will perceive them as having something wrong with them and because of this we put on a mask and pretend everything is ok.”
Nicole Sublette, owner of Therapists of Color New England in Manchester, says the topic of workplace disconnection and loneliness came up recently at a Stay Work Play event she attended. “People were talking about this, and my own business really struggles because people tend to work in silos,” she says.
One thing Sublette has done to combat loneliness at her company is to plan group gatherings. Recently, Therapists of Color’s also created a “clinician support coordinator” to do check-ins and meetings with staff. “Workplaces today are becoming more progressive around mental health and wellness. I had a client whose organization offered wellness incentives including yoga, gym memberships and coaching.”
Sublette says 50% of Therapists of Color’s work is telehealth and that staff work two days in office. “This allows people to grab lunch with each other and they have two hours off during the day,” she says. “I try to make everyone’s lunch hours the same.”
Money, Race, and Age Matters
When it comes to loneliness in the workplace, certain trends stand out. One is age. The 2024 Work in America Survey by the American Psychological Association found that 45% of workers ages 18 to 25 felt lonely, compared to 33% of workers ages 26 to 33, 22% of workers ages 44 to 57 and about 15% of workers over age 58.
“It seems counterintuitive. You would think younger people would have more connections than older people, but it doesn’t pan out that way,” says Lustig, a child psychiatrist by training. “Younger people are supposed to be forming their identities and making lasting connections, graduating college, having their first jobs, and much of that was hindered by the pandemic.”
The U.S. Surgeon General laid out a framework of five requirements for workplace mental health and wellbeing. They are: protection from harm, opportunity for growth, connection and community, mattering at work and work-life harmony. For lower paid workers, these are harder to find.
Lustig says that while money can’t buy a person happiness, it can buy friends. “All joking aside, having connections with friends is an indicator of well-being,” he says, explaining that having financial resources provides the ability to better engage in social activities. And working more hours to make ends meet is time away from family and friends, he adds. “People with better financial resources can engage in important activities and stay more connected.”
According to a 2021 Cigna report, men and women have roughly the same likelihood of loneliness (57% of men and 59% of women) while people from underrepresented racial groups are more likely to be lonely. Seventy five percent of Hispanic adults and 68% of Black/African American adults are classified as lonely—at least 10 points higher than what is seen among the total adult population (58%).
Sublette says people of color—who can experience powerlessness and invisibility—and those with neurodivergence have needs that employers may not understand. “It’s important for employers to gauge their employees’ needs individually. When it comes to group gatherings they can simply ask, ‘what do you want to do, what does fun look like to you,’ these questions are important,” she says.
Creating the Potential for Connection
Creating a workplace of belonging begins with trust, says Chewlin. This includes executive leaders, managers and employees working together to build that trust. “This requires more than a one-and-done approach, she says. “But when building trust is made a priority, workplaces can help create a momentum for change where everyone thrives.”
Golden of Mainstay says he asks employees what is meaningful in their lives and how they can get closer to that. He emphasizes to his staff the importance of fostering positive relationships with people who are trusted sources of wisdom. “You need to know your squad,” he says. “When you’re feeling lonely, who is it you turn to?”
As the leader of a tech company, Golden says he’s aware of the dangers of isolation. “I’m an introvert who also enjoys people,” he says, adding he’d typically rather be reading a book than attending networking events. “There’s a seduction for introverts, especially in the tech world where much of the work is online … they sometimes think they can solve everything in their own mind. That’s dangerous.”
Current Issue - December 2024