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Open up your calendar and take a look at the number of meetings on the books. If you’re like most people, that number likely far outpaces what it was before 2020. According to research from Microsoft, virtual meetings have increased nearly 300% since 2020.
Yet, despite the increase in time spent with colleagues (even virtually), we don’t feel less lonely. In fact, people feel more isolated than ever.
The rapid shift to remote and hybrid work brought numerous benefits — new levels of flexibility, reduced commute times and a better work-life balance, to name just a few. However, the well-intentioned increase in virtual meetings has failed to address the core issue of human connection.
Why Are We Lonely?
In the past four years, significant workplace shifts have emerged as contributing factors to an emerging health epidemic recognized by the U.S. Surgeon General as the “loneliness epidemic.” The Wall Street Journal highlighted this shift in workers' feelings in a recent article, “The Loneliness of the American Worker,” and Cigna estimates that loneliness is costing companies $154 billion a year in absenteeism alone.
While it’s easy to blame this phenomenon on remote or hybrid work, research shows loneliness also affects people working in person. In a piece published on msn.com, journalist Te-Ping Chen reported that among 1-800-Flowers.com’s 5,000 employees working both hybrid and on-site, “the most popular community chat group offered by a company mental-health provider is simply called ‘Loneliness.’”
The article also mentions the frustration I’ve heard from leaders. In an attempt to assuage complaints from workers about feeling lonely, organizations have tried to organize various events to bring people together, including things like organizing voluntary after-work gatherings in areas close to where people work. But that hasn’t proven successful. Only a small fraction of employees participate in these initiatives, and most are left unsatisfied with the status quo.
That’s because the issue isn’t just about making changes at work — though that’s certainly a factor — it’s also about making changes about how we approach work.
Related Article: Workers Are Lonely. Here's What Leaders Can Do
The Solution to Loneliness Isn't More Meetings
Despite the good intentions behind increasing the number of meetings to create more connection points, this strategy hasn't solved the problem of loneliness. In fact, it may have exacerbated it. Workers are experiencing meeting fatigue, where the sheer volume of meetings leads to decreased productivity and heightened feelings of isolation.
Research from employee experience provider Perceptyx shows a paradoxical relationship between the number of meetings and feelings of loneliness. People who reported increased feelings of loneliness also had a higher number of meetings.
Given the national and international footprint of many organizations today, frequent virtual meetings aren’t going away.
Related Article: We Need a New Employer-Employee Social Contract
Can Technology Help?
A workplace where employees feel isolated is unlikely to foster a strong, cohesive culture. But the quality of interactions, rather than the quantity, has the most profound impact on our sense of loneliness. That’s one reason why the uptick in meetings, huddles, check-ins and virtual social events hasn’t helped.
To fix this issue, we first need to start by accepting the limitations of virtual meeting platforms and stop trying to use them as a connection stopgap. Most employees, regardless of where they work, don’t want to spend time doing awkward icebreakers or socializing in a virtual meeting room. Being more intentional about when to use a virtual meeting — like collaborating on a project versus a plethora of back-to-back check-ins or status updates — is a better use of time.
And in terms of collaboration, virtual whiteboards and collaborative tools may be better suited than meetings for the job because they offer the ability to connect and work together without dedicated meetings. While it won’t solve the connection problem, it will allow more open space on the calendar so people feel less burned out by the sheer number of meetings they must attend.
Companies have tried all kinds of virtual watercooler solutions, but the true watercooler experience is about impromptu connection points. It has nothing to do with work. So, companies have turned to virtual games or volunteering platforms like Benevity to drive a sense of connection in a way that isn’t about work but about providing opportunities to build camaraderie among employees who might be passionate for similar causes.
Related Article: Teams Can't Exist Without Connection. Build It Through Rituals
Looking Beyond the Workplace
While technology can help create a real sense of connection, employers have to think more broadly. Offering mental health resources, providing guidance and limits to meetings, and creating time for employees to connect are just the basics — and very good first steps to help the loneliness epidemic.
But encouraging employees to make connections outside of work is also critical. Loneliness isn’t just about not finding a community at work. It’s about feeling like you don’t have access to any community.
Research from Bright Horizons shows that more than 40% of fully remote working parents often go days without leaving the house. In that type of environment, it’s doubtful that any amount of intervention offered by an organization is going to be enough. Getting to the core of the issue is key.
For some companies, this means considering an RTO or increasing the number of days people are required to come to the office. But that approach is flawed from the start. Philip Arkcoll, founder of workforce analytics platform Worklytics, told the WSJ that while coming in as little as once a month can improve connection with coworkers, the in-person experience has rapidly diminishing returns: Coming in once a week, he said, has been shown to create just as much connection as coming in four to five times a week.
Related Article: Return to Office Mandates: Layoffs in Sheep's Clothing
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Back to Basics
Loneliness and isolation are critical issues that organizations — and society as a whole — must address. However, fixing this problem must start from a place of care and understanding.
Organizations that don’t care about the loneliness employees face, don’t feel concerned or responsible for these sentiments and are simply looking for ways to improve productivity, engagement and retention likely won’t be successful at building the right culture that supports the mental wellbeing of their workforce.
Employers can create a supportive and connected work environment by effectively leveraging technology and encouraging genuine human connections. As we navigate the future of work, it's essential to ensure that all technology we use at work enhances rather than hinders our ability to connect with each other.
