Loneliness is a painful and pernicious emotion. Defined as “a complex set of feelings that occurs when intimate and social needs are not adequately met,” loneliness is different from depression, being alone, or feelings of solitude. It has more to do with a person’s quality of social relationships rather than their quantity.
The Painful Cycle of Employee Loneliness, and How It Hurts Companies
When social ties fray, performance declines.
April 24, 2018
Summary.
Research shows that a person’s feeling of loneliness relates to lower job performance. In addition, lonely employees are perceived by their coworkers to be less approachable and less committed to the organization. This creates a painful cycle: Even though someone may desperately want to connect with others, they see their environment as threatening and tend to pull away. This has implications not only for employees, but for organizations as well: loneliness influences people’s colleagues as well as performance outcomes. Organizations need to take tackling the problem of loneliness seriously for both their employees’ sake as well as the sake of the organization itself.
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.