Loneliness is increasingly recognised as a serious issue in modern society. In the UK, the Office of National Statistics reported that 5 percent of adults feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’, with further 16 percent of adults reporting feeling lonely ‘sometimes’, equivalent to approximately 9 million adults suffering from loneliness to some degree.
As a consequence, the UK Government has set up the Jo Cox Commission for Loneliness, appointed Tracey Crouch as Minister for Loneliness and invested £20M for charities and community groups to help isolated people and those suffering in other ways.
Loneliness affects the individual, business and society. It is an unpleasant painful experience that,untreated, results in serious health effects. For example, a 29 percent higher risk of heart disease or 32 percent increased risk of stroke, equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day and a resulting mortality rate of 26 percent. At work, loneliness usually occurs when there are poor social relationships at work, a lack of sense of belonging and feeling disconnected or even alienated.
This in turn degrades motivation and participation, hindering workplace performance, and may also result in higher absenteeism and people leaving the organisation. The cost to UK businesses is estimated to be £2.23 billion per annum, equivalent to £82 per employee per year. At the societal level, loneliness affects community life, can increase crime for the vulnerable and the health costs and pressure on local services is in excess of £70 per person per year and up to £600 per year for older people.
I am conducting some research with Lendlease and the Loneliness Lab on the issue in the workplace workplace. The team behind the research have completed a literature review for Lendlease and the Loneliness Lab have conducted workshops at Lendlease, Buro Happold and the British Red Cross. The next stage is an on-line survey and we are seeking respondents based in UK offices. You can take part in this important work by completing a short, confidential survey. The results will be presented for the first time at Workplace Trends in October.