Unravelling the antecedents of loneliness in the workplace

Abstract

‘I am lonely’, ‘I feel lonely’, ‘I am all alone’, ‘I feel lonely at work’. Each statement conjures up different sentiments about loneliness and speaks to the myriad ways one can arrive at the conclusion that they are lonely. This everyday language gives us insight into the mechanics of what loneliness is, what it is not, how it can manifest, and how being lonely is variously perceived in our social environments. Loneliness indicates that our relational life is unsatisfying in some way and implies a yearning for connection. The perception of loneliness is magnified in social contexts such as the workplace, yet because loneliness is often perceived as a shameful topic that is stigmatised, trivialised, or ignored, it is not something we often hear revealed within organisations. How does loneliness develop in the workplace? This article introduces a process model to help us understand how loneliness at work can manifest. Because the literature on workplace loneliness is far from mature, we use multidisciplinary research on various aspects of loneliness, relationships, and organisations to help develop a conceptual model of loneliness in the context of the workplace. Lastly, the article outlines future research directions for the study of workplace loneliness.