Worlkplace Loneliness

Workplace Loneliness

Todd Nordstrom examines the workplace loneliness issue which does exist.  Very often we can be surrounded by people but unless we find someone with whom we can connect we can end up very lonely.

Workplace Loneliness Is More Common Than You Think. Here's Why You Shouldn't Ignore It

By the way, you're not alone.

By Todd Nordstrom

Content director, O.C. Tanner Institute@toddnordstrom

WRITE A COMMENT

Workplace loneliness affects more than just the individual experiencing it.

CREDIT: Getty Images

Loneliness is no longer just a symptom of social outcasts. In fact, it's something many of us have felt at certain jobs throughout our careers. Do you remember that company where you just felt lonely, like no one really cared if you were there?

"I feel like I don't have the right to complain," said Anna, a woman I met after speaking at a conference. "It's not like my boss is mean. The people I work with are fine. But, even at lunch everyone is obsessed with his or her phones. They're either texting friends, watching Netflix, or scrolling through Instagram. I'm bored all day. And the only thing I can think about is how I want to have a conversation with another human being."

While many of us were raised to respond to situations like these and shrug it off by saying, "Suck it up. Stop whining. Just do your job," there's something other than just emotions we need to consider when it comes to feeling alone at work--research reveals that loneliness kills your job performance.
Research conducted by California State University and the Wharton School of Business that surveyed 672 employees and their 114 supervisors across 143 work team units found that "an employee's work loneliness triggers emotional withdrawal from their organization, as reflected their increased surface acting and reduced affective commitment." And, possibly even more interesting is, "The results also show that co-workers can recognize this loneliness and see it hindering team member effectiveness."
As a leader or even a team member, when we see people who we think might feel lonely our common response is to do the very thing people need the least--just leave them alone. For some reason we assume the loneliness is a personal situation that should be handled outside of the office. But, often, we'd be wrong.

The researchers continued, "...management should not treat work loneliness as a private problem that needs to be individually resolved by employees who experience this emotion; but rather should consider it as an organizational problem that needs to be addressed both for the employees' sake and that of the organization."

If you're lonely at work, how should you react?