When we think about loneliness, we often think about isolation from family and loved ones, but employees often spend more time with their colleagues, or at least communicating with them virtually, than anyone else. As such, supporting your workforce with potential feelings of loneliness – as summer comes to an end and individuals return from much deserved holidays to the office – will have a significant impact on the wellbeing of individuals.
Here are just some of the ways that employers can help their workers to alleviate such feelings:
- Maintain honest and open communication throughout the business
Maintaining regular and honest communication with employees can be crucial in reducing feelings of loneliness and keeping workforces involved and engaged in the business.
Creating an environment that allows for open and honest conversations across the board and encourages people to spend time together in the office, will help alleviate feelings of isolation, anxiety, and loneliness within the workforce.
While most employees will engage with company emails sharing business updates, communicating with them through external means is important too, so if you have updates to share, try weaving them into social activities or one-to-one check ins to gauge any feelings of discomfort or isolation. Check in on their wellbeing and make sure you keep in touch.
- Create learning and development plans
A significant cause of loneliness is the feeling of being left behind, so it’s important to make sure your employees’ professional goals are being fulfilled, and that their career progression is being discussed and motivated frequently. Setting up mentoring and coaching initiatives so that each individual can have a line of communication for support with someone else in the business can be of huge benefit. Another suggestion would be collective volunteering to encourage a sense of belonging.
It is also important for employers to create assurances for employees where possible. Suggest that time away from and at work can be used to think about new skills, remind them of their value to the business and support them by suggesting ways that they can aid their own career development.
- Book a consistent stream of socials – and stick to them
If you are used to having after work drinks with the team, or office birthday celebrations, then maintaining these activities is important for the morale, wellbeing and engagement of employees whether working from an office or from home.
Maintaining this culture is as important as ever where organising weekly team catch ups, for example, allows employees to maintain social contact and benefits those living alone or suffering from loneliness, as this provides regular and much valued face-to-face interaction. Perhaps try diversifying the types of team socials you arrange to add some variety too – activities like a breakfast club, book club, team coffee mornings, or a lunchtime yoga class can be great inclusive alternatives to the traditional pub trip after work.
- Encourage employees to focus on their wellbeing
During times when in-person social events are not booked in, it is important that employers support employees by promoting positive wellbeing across the business. This could be through recommending and joining online exercise classes, team dog walks, photography or art competitions, or mindfulness sessions to name a few.
For those in need of further support, providing employees with services such as a mental health helpline can be a responsible and effective way of reducing stress, anxiety, and loneliness. Benenden Health has a 24/7 mental health helpline for members who may need someone to talk to in times of uncertainty or distress.
All of the above can be important tools in keeping feelings of loneliness at bay, and can also help employees feel motivated, productive, and engaged with your business.
