In Thailand, a significant number of people experience loneliness, with approximately 4 out of 10 individuals reporting feelings of isolation, according to a survey conducted by the College of Management at Mahidol University several months ago. The survey revealed that over 26.75 million people in our country, or 40.4% of the national population, feel lonely, based on a sample of over 1,100 Thai individuals.

In the United States, a 2018 survey by the insurance company Cigna and market research firm Ipsos, which surveyed 20,000 American adults, found that 46% or nearly half feel lonely all the time or occasionally.

Interestingly, another study conducted in the same year by Professor Sigal Barsade from the Wharton School and Professor Hakan Ozcelik from the University of California found that “loneliness” has a severe impact on work performance.

The field study titled "No Employee is an Island: Workplace Loneliness and Job Performance" surveyed the opinions of 672 employees and their 114 supervisors, ranging from entry-level positions to management in the United States.

2 Reasons Why Loneliness Affects Work

Barsade stated that “there are two reasons” why loneliness negatively impacts work performance.

The first reason is that people who feel lonelier tend to be less committed to their organizations. This means that this group of individuals has a “decreased” interest and motivation to work hard, which undermines their job performance.

The second reason involves “coworkers.” The survey indicated that individuals who encounter loneliness in the workplace perceive their coworkers as “less likable.”

Barsade explained in an online business analysis on “Knowledge@Wharton” that this negatively affects work performance because a lack of interaction means they receive less information from coworkers, and lonely employees are less likely to get what they need from the company.

This survey may contradict what most people think about loneliness, which is often assumed from an evolutionary perspective that lonely individuals will reach out to others.

“But what we know about loneliness is that once it passes a certain threshold, it leads to increased paranoia and greater self-isolation,” Barsade noted.

The Wharton professor revealed that since coworkers and work performance are closely related in terms of providing feedback and advice, it makes sense that lonely individuals in the workplace would experience negative impacts.

Cigna and Ipsos's study found that workplace loneliness also affects health; nearly 9 out of 10 (89%) of those with a “positive” relationship with coworkers reported being in good health, compared to 2 out of 3 (65%) of those with a “moderate or poor” relationship with coworkers.

Helping Lonely Employees at Work

Barsade recommends that to assist employees who feel lonely, employers must prioritize the emotional culture within the company to prevent widespread negative effects in the workplace.

“It’s like a tide that sweeps all boats; you cannot just target the lonely employee alone. You need to treat everyone the same way, showing love, care, empathy, and kindness.”

This expert warns that one mistake employers might make is assuming that loneliness is an individual’s fault, rather than considering whether it reflects an organizational issue.

“When it seems like someone is struggling due to their own thoughts, we feel like it’s just their problem,” Barsade explained, adding that one variable to consider is whether the company culture inadvertently excludes these individuals.

Additionally, another mistake employers might make is putting lonely employees together to work.

The study also found that the assumption that “lonely people love their organizations” can worsen the situation. Barsade explained that lonely individuals can lose their social skills, and the common misconception about this group is that they have completely poor social skills when they feel lonely in certain situations.

“You can feel lonely at work and not feel lonely in your personal life or romantic life,” Barsade stated. “It’s about the environment that makes you feel isolated and rejected, which leads you to start closing yourself off and losing the ability to interact with those around you.”

However, Barsade emphasized that employers should not try to force employees to socialize but should start small by reaching out to employees who show signs of feeling isolated. For example, asking for their input at work.

“This can help foster a sense of trust and belonging at work by bringing them into the workplace system.”

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References: CNBC, Knowledge@Wharton

SOURCE: www.bangkokbiznews.com