Today’s workplace is a study in contradictions: We’re more linked than ever technologically, yet professional isolation continues to deepen.
Seven years ago Amy Hensel* worked at a local office with local teammates. Then her employer, an edtech startup, was acquired by a larger firm. Two years after that the company was acquired again.
“After being fully remote for five years, I do feel lonely,” says Hensel. “In both instances, the headquarters became a shell of an office due to covid and work-from-home-first policies. Even when an office was available for me to visit, it was a lonely experience.”
Her story isn’t unique. According to a Perceptyx study, more than 40% of workers report feeling “very” or “somewhat” lonely at work. The problem cuts across all demographics, though men are twice as likely as women to report feeling very lonely, and younger generations struggle more than their older counterparts.
Importantly, workplace loneliness is not a new phenomenon, studies showed loneliness in the workplace was already a growing concern well before the pandemic.
And yet, many assume returning to the office is the solution. Research published in Harvard Business Review (HBR) suggests otherwise. In a study of 1,000 knowledge workers, “highly lonely” participants reported conducting nearly half (47%) of their prior month’s work in person.
Adding more meetings won’t cut it either. According to Perceptyx, employees with meeting-heavy schedules were twice as likely to report feeling “very” lonely. The more meetings people had, the lonelier they felt.
Alone and Lonely: Two Different Things
Workplace isolation is more than just physical separation. “An employee does not have to be alone to feel lonely,” say researchers from the Wharton School and CSU.
Workplace isolation encompasses a range of experiences, from feeling excluded from social networks and decision-making processes to a lack of meaningful connections with colleagues and mentors.
That’s an experience Donna Fischer knows all too well. Although recently retired, Fischer spent the bulk of her career as a social worker in schools or healthcare, the sole professional of her kind, without a team or company cohorts.
“I know the experience of standing in a room of people and being the only one,” shares Fischer. “While everyone is nice,” she reflects, “you always end up being the odd man out.”
Workplace isolation can manifest in several ways:
- Professional isolation: Lack of mentorship, limited career development opportunities, and exclusion from key projects.
- Social isolation: Feeling disconnected from colleagues, excluded from social events, and a lack of informal interactions.
- Cultural isolation: Feeling like an outsider due to differences in background, beliefs, or values.
These various forms of isolation can create a cascade of negative effects, with consequences for both individual workers and organizational success.
The Impact of Isolation at Work
The cost of workplace isolation can be significant, impacting both individual well-being and organizational effectiveness. Isolation can lead to:
- Decreased job satisfaction: A survey by EY found approximately 46% of employees report a likelihood to quit due to feelings of loneliness, with even higher percentages among younger generations, such as Gen Z and Millennials.
- Health issues: Research has established a strong link between loneliness and various mental and physical health issues—including anxiety, depression, and even cardiovascular disease. The U.S. surgeon general declared loneliness a health epidemic last year.
- Impaired team cohesion and collaboration: Isolation can lead to communication breakdowns and conflict, making people less effective at work. Researchers from the Wharton School and California State University found that the lonelier employees were, the lower the performance rating they received from their supervisors.
- Reduced productivity: That same study found that lonely employees often feel less connected to their organization, leading to decreased commitment and effort.
Craving Connection
For a while, Hensel tried to resolve her feelings of loneliness by joining a coworking space. “I felt more human having to be in the world during the workday,” she says, “but a day filled with Zoom meetings is still a day filled with Zoom meetings, even if you have real people around you.”
The problem goes deeper than physical proximity. Fischer believes leadership plays a crucial role. “My best managers knew a little something about me – that I like to travel, or that we had a cabin up north,” she explains. “They would take the time to ask.”
The challenge, perhaps, is that we’ve sacrificed connection for short-term productivity. In an era of back to back meetings, there’s renewed pressure to stay on topic, on task. Taking time for personal chit chat is not always valued.
“That is work!” says Fischer, of those critical moments of personal connection, whether they occur in the office hallway or in a virtual meeting. “Connecting is part of the job. And if you want your team to be efficient and cohesive, you as a leader need to set the example.”
Building Bridges: Strategies for Connection
In the search for solutions, companies are organizing virtual coffee chats and local meetups for remote employees. Others are simply calling people back into the office in an attempt to rebuild connections.
However, mandating office attendance without purpose can backfire. Hensel has friends at other corporations who experienced this firsthand. “If you were in the local area you had to go in, but most of their team wasn’t local anymore,” she explains. “It felt punitive. Those that went into the office were just on Zoom anyway.”
At Talking Talent, we recommend focusing on a culture of belonging and connection, no matter where your people are located.
“It’s not about forcing people together. It’s about creating conditions where authentic relationships and natural connections can flourish,” says Dr. Mary-Clare Race, Talking Talent CEO and an organizational psychologist.
For Race, that means creating psychological safety, fostering meaningful connections, and ensuring equal access to opportunities. Strategies include:
- Connected leadership: Leaders must create opportunities for connection and model inclusive behaviors. Create an environment where people feel they can share their identity at work. That might mean modeling vulnerability by sharing their own challenges and experiences.
- Development programs: Coaches and mentors can provide guidance and support to those who need it, helping employees feel connected and navigate their careers.
- Opportunities for interaction: Create both formal and informal opportunities for employees to connect, both virtually and in person. Even small gestures of personal interest from a peer or leader can make a difference.
- Psychological safety: Foster an environment where employees feel safe to voice concerns, share ideas, and seek help without fear of judgment.
Coaching can play a meaningful role in helping address isolation at the individual and leadership level. Coaches, for example, can help leaders learn what it means to foster connection on a day-to-day level and how to recognize if an employee is withdrawing.
For individual professionals, coaches can prompt problem-solving options—like scheduling coffee chats with colleagues, exploring a company affinity group, or simply getting comfortable with putting more of themselves out there in team interactions.
Taking Steps to Decrease Isolation
For individuals experiencing workplace isolation, Fischer offers hard-won wisdom. “If you let it overpower you, you will fail at the job,” she says. “There are many days it’s easy to go sit in your office and not talk to anyone. But you have to push through that.”
Meanwhile Hensel is looking for a different job—someplace that will offer more opportunities for human connection. And yet, due to the digital nature of her industry, she’s worried that isn’t out there anymore.
“I am in a job and industry I love, that pays well,” she says. “But I do wonder how it can possibly play out in the long run. It can’t be good for me to be so isolated for the bulk of my days.”
The path forward requires commitment from both organizations and individuals. Companies must recognize that building connection is legitimate work, not just a nice-to-have extra. That means managers must have slack in their day and the mental headspace to proactively nurture relationships and facilitate meaningful interactions beyond just task-focused meetings.
This means carving out time for one-on-ones that go deeper than status updates, creating spaces for informal connection, and modeling vulnerability by sharing their own challenges and experiences.
As businesses grapple with this modern challenge, one thing becomes clear: Workplace loneliness isn’t just a personal problem—it’s a business imperative. With lonely workers more likely to quit, disengage, and struggle with productivity, addressing isolation isn’t just about employee wellbeing – it’s about organizational survival.
*Name has been changed
