New report looks at worker loneliness

Washington – Around 1 out of 5 workers worldwide experience loneliness on a daily basis, a new report shows.

For its annual State of the Global Workplace report, management consulting and research company Gallup surveyed more than 128,000 working adults from over 160 countries and areas.

Among the findings:

• Equal percentages of men and women reported daily feelings of loneliness, also 20%.
• Among respondents younger than 35, 22% reported feeling lonely daily, compared with 19% of those 35 and older.
• Fully remote workers (25%) were more likely to report being lonely than onsite workers (16%) – hybrid workers fell in between at 21%.

“If employees are engaged – if they find their work meaningful and feel connected to their team members and organization – their likelihood of loneliness is substantially lower,” a Gallup press release states. “It’s possible that meaningful work absorbs people’s attention to a degree that they don’t feel loneliness – they are simply too occupied doing something that interests them.

“If leaders want to address their employees’ loneliness, the best option may be to pursue employee engagement holistically.”