How to combat loneliness at work
“Loneliness at work? Surely not!” I hear you say… Well, even though many companies are all hustle and bustle, on the phones all day, even on the checkout counters in supermarkets, there are many places where an employee would work alone every day or night.
A trial is currently taking place in Sweden whereby an employee who works on their own and often feels lonely at work is being paid for what they call ‘the friend-care project’ where workers can take anything from 15 minutes per week to an hour a month (at their normal pay) to chat to friends on the phone, text friends or meet up with someone.
The volunteers have also received on-line training on how to recognise and tackle loneliness.
And it seems to be having a positive impact on those who are participating in the trial.
The current UK climate
The trial in Sweden might seem like a strange concept and probably wouldn’t work in the UK. But that’s not to say that loneliness isn’t an issue here, particularly in younger generations according to a recent survey. So, what should we be doing to minimise that loneliness feeling that some people may have if they are constantly working in their own.
We know that since the pandemic a few years ago, many more people are now working from home, so the potential for loneliness could be more prevalent than before. There are also people who work on night shifts who may feel isolated if colleagues are in different areas of the building or even is separate buildings.
How do we tackle the problem?
There are quite a few ways to deal with lone working or hybrid working.
Initially, it could be highlighted to a new employee at their induction that there will be a certain time in the week/night when colleagues have a short break to speak together and check in on everyone.
Many managers now have teams who work remotely. It should therefore be made clear that each week, fortnight or month, that all remote employees who report to that manager will have a meeting on Teams or similar platform at a set time. All remote employees should make the time to attend, and this gives the team a chance to speak to each other in a fairly relaxed although professional atmosphere.
In addition, the manager should set aside time each week, fortnight or month for a separate one-to-one check-in to find out not only how the employee is performing, but also to assess whether the employee is struggling with being remote or not.
We all know that remote working isn’t for everyone – some love it, some hate it, and the one-to-one meetings should give the manager an idea of whether that employee is a ‘lover’ or ‘hater’ of remote working.
Bringing people together
In some companies, it may also be possible for there to be times when the remote employees are invited to Head Office (or other venue) on a regular basis, maybe three or four times a year. They could join everyone in the department for a team meeting, possibly followed by a lunch and some time to chat to everyone. This can help reduce isolation and loneliness.
The key to success in such a situation is the manager (who also may be a remote worker). They should make sure that all of their reports know when team meetings are to take place, either on-line or in person. They should also have an awareness of each of their reports and be able to notice if someone isn’t doing as well as they should.
These are simple steps to take, which can make the world of difference to a remote employee. It gives them the feeling of being within the team, even if they are not always together with the team.
