The Power of Connection: Combating Loneliness in the Workplace
Deanell, EPI's President, and Michelle, our Chief Enjoyment Officer, enjoy some in-person connection.
Over the past few months, I’ve been a busy social bee, with numerous opportunities to connect with colleagues and my team. I’m enriched by that kind of connection. I thrive on it. It always lifts my spirits.
But it’s not just my mental and emotional health that benefits from human interaction. In meta-analyses of 70 studies involving over 3.4 million individuals, BYU researchers discovered in 2017 that loneliness was (and still is) a growing public health threat. Feeling socially isolated is potentially more dangerous to our cardio-vascular, immune, and cognitive health than light smoking, hypertension, and obesity. The former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy noted in 2023 that loneliness can be as devastating to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
That’s staggering.
It’s not just about social interaction, though. Working with a lot of people doesn’t guarantee we won’t be lonely. And some of us can be socially isolated without feeling lonely. Others, however, may be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. According to psychologist-researcher Dr. Holt-Lunstad, loneliness is more about “the subjective perception of isolation—the discrepancy between one’s desired and actual level of social connection.”
It’s quality over quantity: We feel lonely when our relationships are not emotionally rewarding.
But why should we specifically care about emotionally rewarding relationships in the workplace?
Well, first of all, because we want to be empathetic human beings. But beyond that, there are solid business reasons for addressing social isolation at work. Lonely workers don’t perform as well as those who feel connected—to their work, their team, and their organization. Decision-making and problem-solving suffer. Lonely workers are creative less often. And they're absent more often. Emotional well-being at work matters.
The disturbing news is that the recent Gallup 2024 State of the Global Workplace states that on average 20% of global employees are lonely. And that percentage goes up to 25% for fully remote workers.
There’s good news too, however. Work itself is a buttress against loneliness. Good work—work that engages your team members—has an even stronger positive effect. Gallup found in its separate U.S. study that “engaged employees were 64% less likely to be lonely than those who are not engaged.” That’s seriously significant and encouraging!
The bottom line is that employees who meaningfully connect at work benefit your bottom line. And make the workday more fun.
So, how can you strategically combat loneliness at work? Here are five tips:
Treat everyone equally, but not necessarily the same. Some team members may need multiple points of meaningful contact during a day or week. Learn what your individual team members require to feel engaged. Reach out according to their needs. This could mean a daily chat, in person or by phone/video call, with one team member, while another is fine connecting occasionally by email or DM. Consider using video or voice interaction more often if you’re on a virtual team.
Encourage—but don’t force—your team to interact on a more personal level. Use daily huddles, weekly team meetings, or whatever communication platforms your company frequents, to touch base on what’s important to one another. Share “delights.” Everyone wants to feel understood and valued as a person. When we aren’t, we feel…well, lonely.
Model high-quality relationships to inspire the same in others. Hold up your end of the bargain in your relationships. Share your experiences. Foster compassion and generosity of spirit.
Encourage mentorship and collaboration. When we help others, we help ourselves. Reach out to your team with genuine offers of assistance and be sure to follow through. Make it clear you care about their well-being. Galvanize your teammates to assist one another and to accept help when it’s offered. People want to feel useful.
Take time to have fun together. Yes, we talk about this a lot at EPI, but we really mean it! For us, as a virtual team, this can mean something as simple as a string of silly GIFs on MS Teams to break up an intense workday. Laughter connects.
Feeling like we matter—because people treat us that way—is the best protection against loneliness.
“It is about belonging, and belonging is about taking part, and taking part is about being of use, of being engaged. Loneliness is not about being useless but being unused.” (Stewart Dakers)
-Michelle Kelly, CEO (Chief Enjoyment Officer)
EPI Happenings
September 17th is going to be an action-packed day for EPI:
Deanell Sandoval will be speaking at the AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) 2024 Annual Conference in Calgary, Alberta. She’ll be sharing her unique insights on well-being for zoo and aquarium employees from our Zoo & Aquarium Leadership Development Program. If you’re attending the conference, be sure to stop by.
Back in Minnesota, Michelle Kelly will be attending The HOW Conference, a boutique event in its eighth year of serving a “niche community of women entrepreneurs.” EPI is proudly sponsoring the VIP reception, and we hope to see you there!
Recommended Reading
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World
by Vivek H. Murthy, MD
The next book in my tall to-be-read stack is Together, which was highly recommended by a colleague and is the subject of our next ATD Book Club.
This book by a former U.S. Surgeon General talks about the devastating effects of loneliness, what we can each do about it, and how learning to be comfortable with solitude ultimately helps us forge deeper connections with other humans.
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