A Harvard University research has revealed that the type of jobs which tend to be the unhappiest are most often the loneliest ones, where employees are bereft of working with a team.
So if you sit away in your house, away from your team, chances are you are unhappy at work.
The study, however, also pointed out loneliness doesn’t just afflict those in solitary jobs — even people with busy, social jobs can feel isolated if they don’t have positive interactions.
The study went on to list some of the loneliest jobs in the world, which included night-shift jobs, tech-driven industries, like package and food delivery services or even online retail.
The research added that creating small opportunities for social connection at work can be restorative and help alleviate feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, remote working has become more prevalent with an increasing number of people choosing to work away from the office.
While employees do cite several benefits from remote working, most tend to ignore the loneliness factor that is involved in remote working.
Additionally, employees who report a higher amount of loneliness are more likely to suffer from depression, burnout, sleep problems, and substance abuse.
Loneliness at the workplace could also make it much harder to find work in the future, due to the impact it can have on your mental health.
To eradicate this contagion, the first thing that firms and managers should do is to change and be more compassionate and inculcate a more emotional culture at work.
Promoting and participating in social activities, even online, can help strengthen connections among co-workers.
Setting aside dedicated times to connect can give employees the chance to improve information-sharing and teamwork. Work experts have said that if such measures are taken employees may be a happier bunch.