This Working Life How to fix loneliness at work
Oct 24, 2025
Connie Noonan-Hadley, an organisational psychologist and Research Associate Professor at Boston University, tackles the pressing issue of work loneliness. She defines it as unwanted social distance, exacerbated by remote work and modern technology. Connie highlights the health and productivity costs for employers and shares a five-item loneliness scale she developed. Employers can build connection through simple interventions like fostering casual chit-chat. She also stresses the need for tailored support for junior and introverted staff, empowering both leaders and individuals to combat loneliness.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Loneliness Is A Subjective Distress
- Work loneliness is the distressing experience of having less social connection than desired at work and is subjective to each person.
- People often misattribute loneliness to job factors like remote work when it's actually unwanted social absence.
Use A Simple Five‑Question Test
- Use the five-question work loneliness scale to diagnose levels of loneliness in your workforce; it's free and quick.
- The scale classifies low, moderate, and high loneliness and found 47% of a sample were moderately or highly lonely.
Loneliness Harms Health And Business
- Work loneliness links to health, productivity, team friction and higher intent to quit, with broad organizational costs.
- The pandemic, smartphones and remote work accelerated visibility but the core issue is pervasive lack of social connection.