5 Ways Leaders Can Overcome Remote Work Loneliness

Remote work loneliness is on the rise. A recent survey found that two-thirds of remote workers feel lonely at work some or all of the time. That’s a significant number when you consider that 58% of leaders worldwide now work in a hybrid or remote role, according to DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2023. So, with all that considered, why aren’t we discussing remote work loneliness more?

Many of us—even those of us who struggle with loneliness—benefit from remote work’s benefits, so much so that we aren’t quick to identify drawbacks. At its best, remote work promises to provide access to better working opportunities to parents and other caretakers, individuals with disabilities, and those who live far from major cities. Many of us now struggle to remember how we coped with a work week that included an additional 10 or more commuting hours. For organizations, remote work can reduce overhead costs while increasing employee productivity and job satisfaction, allowing companies to hire from a broader, geographically diverse talent pool.

Because the benefits of remote work are so clear, it’s easy to avoid examining where remote work is failing us. One of the most challenging aspects of remote work is the potential for workers to become isolated and lonely. Solving the workplace loneliness epidemic is critical for ensuring everyone can thrive in an increasingly virtual world of work.

58% of leaders worldwide now work in a hybrid or remote role.

DDI, Global Leadership Forecast 2023

Remote Work and the Impact of Loneliness

The biggest myth about remote work loneliness is that it’s a personal problem for individuals to solve on their own. Companies—and the leaders within them—should care deeply about the rise of workplace loneliness due to its significant impact on business results.

DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2023 reveals that engaged, purpose-driven leaders are 9X more likely to feel invested in their roles. Conversely, lonely and disconnected employees show less engagement, give less voluntary effort, and struggle to find meaning in their work. This issue is especially true for those experiencing isolation due to remote work.

Building cohesive teams in the remote workplace presents a significant challenge for leaders. We can no longer rely on the convenience of colleagues sharing advice over the cubicle wall or venting to one another during a coffee break in the cafeteria. And, when onboarding new team members, we must be far more intentional to ensure they find their place in the team dynamic.

But how can we tackle this issue without forcing everyone back to the office? To answer that question, we first need to understand what causes workplace loneliness and how it can be addressed.

Engaged, purpose-driven leaders are 9X more likely to feel invested in their roles.

DDI, Global Leadership Forecast 2023

What Causes Remote Work Loneliness?

To understand the causes of remote work loneliness, we must look for a deeper explanation beyond the mere absence of in-person social connection or water cooler chatter. Remote work loneliness is far more multi-faceted and complex. Often, leaders will find remote work loneliness comprises one or more of several factors, including:

1. Thwarted belongingness. 

A sense of belonging is fundamental to our psychological well-being. The absence of belonging is more than simply feeling alone; it’s a sense of being alienated from others despite desires or attempts to connect. This feeling of being an outsider is easily amplified in the virtual workplace. For example, if our ideas are disregarded, we are spoken over during meetings, or our chat messages to team members are left unread, it can create a sense of mistrust and exclusion, making us feel like we’re on the outside looking in.

2. Disconnect from acute emotional needs. 

When we know a colleague is going through a difficult time, it’s not easy to “feel with” them in brief virtual interactions in a day filled with back-to-back meetings. I recall a recent time when my workdays comprised returning from the bedside of a terminally ill friend to join virtual meetings in which I couldn’t possibly convey the gravity of what I was going through to my colleagues. Anyone I shared with was deeply empathetic, but those days were filled with some of the most abrupt and jarring emotional transitions. As humans, we haven’t evolved to interpret that kind of emotional whiplash with the nuance our current circumstances require.

3. Lack of a socialized sense of purpose. 

“I miss being held accountable.” A friend recently said this about his isolation as a mid-level manager in a large professional services firm. He’s a high performer and hard worker with significant autonomy. But after a leader change, he feels that no one understands what his small team does or its impact.

4. Being an “only.” 

When you’re the only woman, the only person of color, the only LGBTQ+ employee, the only parent, the only single person, the only disabled person, or the “only” of any other identity facet, the capacity for feeling isolated and misunderstood is amplified. And in the virtual workplace, it can be harder to find community elsewhere in the company.

5. Blurred work-life boundaries. 

Remote work presents unique challenges in separating work and personal life. This can lead to overwork and neglect of social activities, which can be especially difficult for introverts. If work has been mentally or emotionally taxing, the “recharge” for the evening may be to bury our heads in a book or catch up on our favorite TV show. But if repeated too often, this pattern can hinder our social well-being.

How Can Leaders Help Overcome Remote Work Loneliness?

Leaders play a crucial role in addressing remote work loneliness by implementing strategies to foster connection and support. By taking proactive steps, they can create a more inclusive and engaging virtual work environment.

1. Create a “belonging plan” for at-risk employees. 

It’s common practice to set a networking strategy for new hires to meet the people they’ll need to know to get their work done. Leaders of virtual teams can also develop a “belonging plan” to prevent remote worker loneliness. Who are three to five people with shared interests, motivations, or experiences with whom a new employee is likely to bond? Introduce them. Beyond new hires, we can do this for experienced team members struggling with belonging. It can be more challenging for them to speak up when they’re feeling lonely, so doing this proactively can be a critical action for leaders of remote teams.

2. Prioritize team cohesion. 

When your team is very busy, they may start feeling less connected. Research has even found that the more meetings an employee is in, the more likely they are to feel lonely. If cohesiveness is not prioritized, the team’s perception of the culture can suffer. And if a leader’s own calendar is booked solid, they’ll likely struggle to facilitate this cohesion. Building a strong and inclusive team dynamic requires intention and prioritization. Leaders can do this by creating opportunities for group interactions, like virtual coffee breaks or lunch-and-learn sessions, where the activity is more about socializing than getting work done, and employees have an opportunity to be candid with each other.

3. Become a master connector. 

As a team leader, you don’t want to be someone’s sole sense of connection. When a team member reaches out for advice, consider whether you should connect them with another colleague to work through the issue. Where possible, assign work in ways that encourage team members who don’t normally interact to collaborate. 

4. Manage team meetings with intention. 

Virtual team meetings can quickly devolve into the routine of announcements and project updates. Use this time to facilitate connection. Celebrate team accomplishments, highlight a team member who has made a unique contribution, or create space for the team to engage in social problem solving. Watch out for team meetings that get too big. Once the number of participants exceeds the single digits, recognize that team members will disclose on a less personal level, and other venues for team connection may be needed.

5. Facilitate in-person interactions. 

As a leader, use your resources and influence to address employees’ social needs. For remote workers struggling with isolation, solutions might go beyond virtual interactions. Encourage them to work at a coffee shop a few times a week to fulfill their need for in-person interactions. Alternately, advocate for a budget to allow team members in the same city to access a co-working space. You could also encourage them to meet for lunch on the company’s dime.

Learn more about how to overcome remote work loneliness with DDI’s blog, “How Leaders Can Build a Strong Remote Work Culture.”

Mark Smedley is a Leadership Advisor for DDI. He is passionate about helping organizations make leadership development a way of work in a fast-paced world.