Are you lonely?

Are you lonely?

According to government statistics over a quarter of adults in the UK and nearer to a half in the US do feel lonely.

To put this into some kind of professional context I’ve over 1200 connections on LinkedIn so let’s assume 300-400 of my LinkedIn community are lonely (majority being in UK but with a nice global spread).

What about your workplace?

If you’re in a team of ten (average size of a UK business), 2-3 of your team feel lonely some or all the time.

Loneliness is a symptom of a lack of social connection. Loneliness matters as it has been proven to be a significant risk for individual health and longevity. In short: being lonely increases the risk for premature death.

‘But what has this got to do with work?’

Well, researchers have concluded that social connection is a fundamental human need, as essential to survival as food, water, and shelter. Human beings are biologically wired for social connection. Our brains have developed to expect proximity to others. We expect to feel close to others as well as be physically close.

At work, as in life, in many ways we appear more connected than ever. Yet genuine, meaningful connection is not brief messages via Slack, e-mail or social media. It is not Teams or Zoom. It is not sitting in the office with rows of people sat next to each other with their headphones on. It certainly isn’t sitting at home alone.

The way we work - like the way many of us live - is reducing social connection.

So, ask yourself what can you do to increase social connection?

Think about building genuine relationships through shared values, common interests and a basic level of care for those you work with.

Do this and you will help someone in your team who is lonely. And your team, project and workplace will benefit too.