Source: www.talentcanada.ca
Before HR and C-suite leaders can mitigate social isolation in the workplace, they must understand what it is, why it’s beneficial to protect workers from it, and why they’ll want to alleviate it.
I’ve spent a significant amount of time researching and writing on isolation and loneliness. Based on data collected from organizations through workplace psychological risk assessments, I’ve observed that this social problem continues to be a significant psychosocial risk factor. One research report that aggregates data indicates that 69 per cent of employees are unsatisfied with their social connections at work, and 43 per cent don’t feel a sense of connection with their colleagues.
Workplace isolation occurs when employees feel a lack of connection with their colleagues. They often report, “No one talks to me; I have nothing in common with my team members; I feel like I am working in a vacuum; I do not have anyone to talk to.” The one thing in common across many situations of isolation related to age, personality, gender, culture, or education is that employees perceive they do not fit in or do not feel supported or connected to others.
Social isolation can increase an employee’s risk of experiencing loneliness at work, which can negatively impact their health, motivation, and productivity. Columbia University reported that social isolation is linked to mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Recent research suggests that when a person spends more than 75 per cent of their time isolated socially, they are at increased risk of experiencing loneliness. One longitudinal study supports the notion that employers who mitigate social isolation in the workplace also help their employees’ mental health and longevity.
How to mitigate social isolation in the workplace
- Get senior leadership buy-in and support. Make senior leadership clear on the business case: mitigating social isolation is good for retention, productivity, cost management, and the employee experience. This may begin with education, such as a 45-minute webinar to increase awareness of social isolation, put it into context, and explain why it is beneficial to mitigate this psychosocial hazard. These talks allow a senior leader’s team to pause and reflect on how social isolation can impact organizational results. This step supports a senior leader’s efforts to protect employees from social isolation.
- Educate employees on the topic and what the organization is doing to mitigate social isolation risk. Teach employees about social isolation, their employer’s commitment to protecting them (e.g., measuring and tracking the percentage of workers experiencing social isolation), the initiatives the employer is adopting to reduce the stigma often associated with isolation and loneliness, and any prevention and support programs available. The research suggests employers who promote the importance of teamwork, community, and inclusion in their values, and follow through in their words and actions, protect workers from social isolation. Ensure all new hires get a mentor, promote the best buddy system, train leaders to pay attention to the quality of social connections within their teams, and implement an effective conflict prevention and management program. Employees languishing and struggling financially or socially may benefit from training programs and supports promoting healthy social connections. They may also benefit from an employee and family assistance plan (EFAP) or consulting a mental health professional. Success in this step means employers accept that people need people to thrive in the workplace and that even employees on high-functioning teams may feel socially isolated.
- Follow through and monitor impact. Adopt a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach to ensure efforts to mitigate social isolation are measured and monitored. One challenge with social isolation is that the person experiencing it may suffer in silence and feel emotionally discouraged. To have an impact, employers must think of prevention and support programs like running a bus line: a person may not get on the first bus that comes by. The challenge with one-and-done programming is that if an employee misses it, they are out of luck. Social isolation is similar to obesity and type 2 diabetes in that there are many conversations, promotions, and courses on how to address it, but the problem rages on as a major issue that contributes to chronic disease risk. In this step, success lies in understanding that random acts (e.g., webinars) alone will never be enough. Impact requires adopting this factor within a psychologically healthy and safe workplace mental health program that monitors and measures employees’ experiences with this risk factor and its effect on the workforce.