A recent Gallup poll found that 1 in 5 workers worldwide feel lonely. This number is even higher—1 in 4—among fully remote workers. Just last year, a Bright Horizons survey revealed that more than 40% of fully-remote working parents polled did not leave their house for several days at a time. These surveys fall in line with a growing trend of loneliness among remote workers. And while some have used this trend as an argument for forcing workers back into the office full time, hybrid and remote work is here to stay. So it’s up to employers to combat this growing crisis among their workforce and take steps to build community and connection, regardless of where employees are based.
Here are three steps leaders can take to address the remote worker loneliness crisis, that doesn’t involve forcing workers to return to the office.
Establish ERGs
One popular avenue for forging connections among employees is Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs are generally associated with corporate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, but they can also help employers combat the employee loneliness epidemic. More than 65% of ERG members surveyed by McKinsey in 2021 said that ERGs were effective in fostering community between employees, making it the highest-ranked category for ERG effectiveness. Cultivating community is increasingly important given that each year fewer employees report that they “get to know their co-workers on a personal level.”
When executed correctly, ERGs can provide safe spaces of open dialogue that enable employees to create genuine connections with each other. In fact, a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Workplace Mental Health Initiative report found that more than 90% of ERGs identified reducing mental health stigma and creating a safe environment as their top priority. This interpersonal connection and openness among colleagues plays a critical role in fighting back against employee loneliness.
At my organization, our ERGs—which include forums for allyship, grief, LGBTQIA+ employees, faith groups, and more—create space for employees to discuss their identities and experiences as well as unseen issues and current events. Giving employees the space to speak openly about current events, politics, mental health, and other issues that affect their lives helps them show up to work as their authentic selves and feel more connected to their colleagues and their company.
Foster casual conversations
Companies can also foster more informal, “water cooler” interactions among their workforce in order to combat loneliness before it reaches a crisis point. Creating Slack or Microsoft Teams channels and chats dedicated to shared experiences, hobbies, and interests allows employees to engage with one another in a more casual capacity and talk about things other than deadlines and deliverables.
For more sensitive topics such as mental health, companies can create mental health Slack channels where employees can remain anonymous and speak openly about their experiences. Employers can also create location-based channels where remote employees in nearby cities can schedule meet-ups or share local recommendations.
To ensure that these efforts attract all employees, companies can offer a variety of types of activities with different levels of engagement and requirements. For instance, my team has optional coffee chat open houses where employees can join a virtual meeting room to chat with coworkers casually and on their own time. In addition, employers can implement certain team-building activities to help push employees out of their comfort zones and help them get to know team members. Typically, employees will realize the value of these connections once they are encouraged and will be more willing to engage in future social activities afterward.
Offer flexible opportunities to connect
Although research suggests remote work has a plethora of advantages—allowing employees to live where they please, eliminate their commute, and spend more time with their families—it can also contribute to the loneliness that already plagues our society. In fact, loneliness has become so prevalent that U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory last year stating, among other things, that loneliness increases the chances of premature death by 60%. For full-time workers, their jobs are a central part of their social lives, and employers have the potential to ensure that workplace connections are fruitful, meaningful and engaging.
As offices continue to adjust to their new virtual and hybrid realities, leaders must take steps to ensure that employees are supported no matter where they are. To do so, they must make an effort to create spaces for employees to connect regardless of their location and provide resources to combat loneliness and mental health issues as they arise. Working from home doesn’t have to mean working alone, and employers must take steps to reduce workplace loneliness and ensure the health and well-being of every employee.
Rohshann Pilla is the President of Aquent Talent, a leader in talent and recruiting for marketing, creative, and design. She leads a team in developing innovative talent delivery solutions for Fortune 100 clients that help propel the business forward.
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