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Content Manager
Content specialist in office design and build.
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According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, a considerable one in five employees feels lonely. This not only poses health risks, but also leads to disengagement, lower productivity and higher turnover rates in the workplace.
So, what’s behind it? And is there a solution? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the rise in workplace loneliness and discuss how office design can bring people together to spark meaningful connections.
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Workplace loneliness and its impact
It’s estimated that people spend about a third of their lives at work – far too much time to feel lonely! Yet, according to Gallup’s research, many do. In their State of the Global Workplace report, they asked employees “Did you experience loneliness a lot of the day yesterday?”.
A whopping 20% answered “yes”. The figure was slightly higher for those aged under 35, of which 22% said they experienced loneliness. In contrast, it’s marginally lower (19%) for workers aged over 35.
There are two broad reasons why this matters. Firstly, people’s health. Loneliness is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological disorders. In other words, it’s damaging both mentally and physically.
Then there’s the impact on work. Loneliness has been found to decrease work engagement, which reduces job satisfaction in turn. It will come as no surprise that job satisfaction is a core factor when it comes to staff turnover.
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Above all else, workers who aren’t engaged simply don’t perform as well. In their 2023 report, Gallup estimated that disengaged workers cost $8.8 trillion in lost productivity, globally.
Interestingly, the link between engagement and loneliness seems to work both ways. We’ve already discussed how loneliness can lead to poor engagement. However, Gallup cites how engaged employees were 64% less likely to be lonely than those who aren’t engaged. In other words, loneliness can affect engagement, but engagement can also impact loneliness.
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What causes loneliness at work?
Many will look at the rise in remote working as a cause of loneliness in the workplace. It’s not hard to see why.
We’ve seen a marked shift to hybrid working, where employees choose between the office, home and other locations for their daily workplace. Unfortunately, that’s reduced the number of meaningful connections they experience day-to-day. While work calls and team meetings might still take place, there’s been a loss of serendipitous interactions around the workplace.
This isn’t necessarily down to hybrid working itself though – merely the way it’s been implemented. A massive 91% of companies have adopted hybrid working. However, AT&T’s Future of Work study found that 72% of businesses don’t have a clear hybrid working strategy.
That’s a problem. Without a proper strategy, it’s harder to guarantee interactions throughout the week. Someone might come into the office on a Friday, for example, and find that no one else is there. Their day in the office gives them no more interaction than a day at home.
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In other words, workplaces aren’t aligning with the shift in working styles and patterns. When businesses operate on a hybrid working model, they need to make the most of time in the office. That means ensuring that there’s a good mix of staff in the office at any given time, or on certain office-working days.
Over the past few years, catering for remote work has been the primary focus of most organisations – often out of necessity. But in doing so, many have neglected or even disregarded the physical working space. As the focus shifts from fully remote to a more balanced, hybrid strategy, it’s vital that we give more thought to physical office spaces.
The office of the 2020s is far different from that of the previous decade. Previously, the office was the default and ways of working were pretty uniform. Today, people want more choice in how they work when they’re in the office. They don’t want to be siloed, working the same way as they would at home – but in a different setting.
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The role of the office in combatting loneliness
Whether you’ve embraced hybrid working or you’re fully office-based, it’s vital that employees can make the most of their time in the office.
Here are some key design considerations to combat loneliness:
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Designing for social connection
Offices have evolved from the segregated cubicles of yesteryear. Open-plan workspaces provide a lot more flexibility and fluidity, allowing employees to communicate during different types of work.
It’s a good idea to incorporate a variety of areas suited to different kinds of communication and collaboration. These include:
- Formal collaboration spaces like meeting rooms
- More casual brainstorming areas
- Open-plan areas for independent working alongside colleagues
- Breakout spaces for socialising rather than working
- Quiet areas for truly independent working when needed
Workplace technology is another important feature of the modern hybrid-working office. Strong Wi-Fi, smartphones, tablets and company computers are all must-haves, with large displays for hybrid meetings another valuable addition.
This isn’t just about benefiting remote employees. It also ensures those in the office feel connected to their colleagues, wherever they’re based. If there happens to be fewer employees in the office on a given day, they don’t have to feel disconnected from the rest of the workforce.
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Encouraging movement
There’s also a lot to be said for movement in the workplace. Even in the most open-plan environments, teams can be prone to nesting. This is where certain workspaces become familiar to employees, and they don’t take advantage of the different options available to them.
There are a few steps you can take to avoid this:
- Ensure different parts of the office are adaptable to different needs. This includes the use of modular furniture and spaces that can easily be reconfigured. For example, YouTube’s Creative Studio has movable partitions, so they can rearrange the space around their needs.
- Strategically position different departments or teams throughout the office to maximise cross-disciplinary interactions. Alternatively, you can create touchdown points in spaces between teams to encourage movement and interaction if proximity is crucial.
- Place core spaces and amenities with socialisation in mind. That might mean having one, larger kitchen and social area rather than one for each floor or department – as with Photobox’s London HQ.
- Design circulation routes with interaction in mind. Employees don’t have to be restricted to secluded hallways and corridors. Provide different pathway options through communal areas and different workspaces, allowing people to move and communicate more freely.
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Breaking habits
Similar to nesting, employees can become set on certain routines and ways of working which hinder socialisation. That could be specific routes around the office or even using the same room for every meeting.
Believe it or not, offices can be designed to break these habits and disrupt daily norms. At Matillion’s Manchester office, for instance, meeting rooms are positioned as ‘islands’ to avoid journeys around the office becoming routine and repetitive.
That’s paired with a multi-functional staircase between floors, allowing a better flow of staff between the two levels. An outdoor terrace reflects the unrestricted feel of the office, seamlessly connecting the indoor space with its surroundings.
Combating loneliness in the workplace requires a thoughtful approach to office design that prioritises connection, movement, and flexibility. As the way we work continues to evolve, it’s essential that our physical workspaces evolve alongside it, fostering an environment where meaningful interactions can flourish.
Ultimately, overcoming loneliness in the workplace is not just about bringing people together physically but about creating an atmosphere where engagement and connection are woven into the fabric of the workday. Through intentional design, companies can transform their offices into spaces where employees feel valued, connected, and less isolated, leading to greater wellbeing and enhanced productivity across the board.
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Speak to a workplace expert
020 7553 9500
info@oktra.co.uk
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