October
Loneliness
Addressing loneliness at work or feelings of being isolated at work can be difficult if it goes unnoticed by others. It’s an extremely personal feeling but lonely people may still smile and put on a brave face. Many may be actually be shy, feel alone or a sense of alienation, and might suffer in silence, especially if new to a role. The recent growth of working from home also means working on your own and can lead to lack of communication, fractured work relationships and ultimately a lack of friends at work. Overwhelming loneliness can limit a person’s ability to perform in a team and our expert presenters have advice for managers, and for individuals dealing with workplace loneliness, to help them recognise the causes and symptoms.
Case Studies
Maya Shah
Maya is naturally introverted and enjoys a degree of isolation, but colleagues in her new accountancy role misread the signals and start to ignore her. Feeling lonely, Maya resolves to make subtle changes to her routine that ultimately make a difference.
Josh Milton
As an IT assistant in a new role, Josh assumes that his older colleagues are cliquey and unapproachable. Naturally shy, he gives up trying to make friends until, feeling lonely, he considers leaving. Wise words from his line manager make a difference.
Linda Thomas
Working from home enables an insurance underwriter, Linda, to concentrate on work. With the house to herself she’s increasingly been feeling lonely and cut off, but talking honestly about it to her colleagues and her boss makes a big difference.
