Employees Around the Globe Feel Lonely, Crave a Sense of Belonging
According to a report by consulting firm EY, a large majority of employees across the globe have felt lonely at work. The survey, which included over 5,000 workers in Brazil, China, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S., found that 82 percent of respondents indicated they have felt lonely at work. Additionally, nearly half of those polled (49 percent) experience loneliness more now than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Loneliness at work is not a form of depression or a personality trait, according to a study from The Wharton School of Business and California State University. The study explains that an employee does not have to be alone to feel lonely, and lonely employees can still feel lonely even when interacting frequently with others if these interactions do not provide the desired level of closeness. Loneliness at work depends on the level of closeness, security, and support employees seek in their interpersonal relationships.
The survey also found that among people with disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQ, nearly one-third (31 percent) said they feel more isolated at work and less likely to belong because of their country's current political and economic landscape.
Loneliness also has a big impact on one's health, said Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021), in a Harvard Business Review video. She states that loneliness is as impactful on health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is worse than diabetes.
To combat loneliness at work, organizations should focus on creating better human connections across their teams. This can be achieved by paying attention to colleagues, inviting engagement, and building alignment along every step of the employee experience. Strategies to promote belongingness include offering employee resource groups (ERGs) targeting various topics, providing specific, real-time feedback to employees, giving individuals full attention when asking how they are doing, and ensuring that everyone has a chance to be heard, regardless of language or time zone.