Building a culture of belonging

A framework for addressing loneliness in the workplace for enhanced well-being

Addressing loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for organisations striving to cultivate a resilient, engaged, and high-performing workforce. To tackle this issue, we propose a holistic framework comprising five key elements: Culture, Leadership, DEIB & Well-being, Organisational Design & Workplace Environment, and Social Needs & Networks. This framework offers a comprehensive approach to nurturing connection and belonging within organisations, which are essential for navigating the complexities of modern workplaces and meeting the needs of today’s workforce.

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The cost of loneliness amounts to £2.5 billion annually for UK employers, with 1 in 5 workers reporting feeling lonely at work on a typical working day. Loneliness is defined as ‘the pain we feel when our social connections do not meet our needs’ and significantly impacts our well-being. More specifically, when we look into the workplace, workplace loneliness refers to the sense of distress that arises when an individual perceives a lack of sufficient interpersonal relationships within their professional environment.  

Adopting a multigenerational perspective underscores the heightened prevalence of loneliness, particularly among Gen Z and younger colleagues aged 18-24, who experience twice the level of loneliness compared to other age groups and significantly higher stress and symptoms of burnout. Considering that Gen Z is on track to become one of the largest segments in the workforce, constituting 27% of OECD countries’ workforce and one-third of the global population by 2025 businesses must carefully assess the potential impact on their operations.  

In the workplace, fostering a culture of social connection and belonging is crucial. Meaningful connections and trusting relationships are linked to improved work quality, higher well-being, and greater work engagement. Conversely, loneliness leads to reduced commitment, productivity, and turnover, as well as increased absenteeism. While jobs organically offer opportunities for connection, the presence of social networks alone may not alleviate the subjective feeling of loneliness. Instead, tackling loneliness calls for a blended approach of promoting social connections and creating a culture of belonging to enhance workforce productivity and resilience. 

Culture

• Purpose: Identifying what matters to individuals is particularly relevant. Especially for younger generations who increasingly seek workplaces that allow for personal and professional development—particularly in acquiring new skill sets rather than focusing solely on one skill—where they feel valued, empowered, and can cultivate positive relationships with line managers and peers. 

• Values and social norms: Organisational values and social norms play a vital role in fostering behaviours enabling meaningful connections and belonging. Prioritising and normalising conversations on well-being, uncertainty, stress and loneliness, and regular opportunities for positive contact time are key, particularly shown in the needs of younger generations. Emphasising cooperation and connectedness in organisational cultures may lead to healthier relationships and reduce loneliness.  

• Social and organisational identity: Social identity, derived from a sense of membership in social groups, significantly influences attitudes and behaviours towards colleagues and organisations. Creating a sense of belonging through shared identity enhances well-being and productivity. Effective positive group-based connections and interventions that build positive social identities focus on what could be called the Five S Approach: “Schooling (raising awareness of the value of groups for health and of ways to harness this), Scoping (mapping one’s social world to identify existing group connections and areas for social growth), Sourcing (developing skills to maintain and utilise existing networks and reconnect with valued groups), Scaffolding (using the group as a platform for new social connections and to grow confidence), and Sustaining (identifying strategies to ensure social group ties endure and learning how to deal with ongoing group issues)”. Moreover, events, brands, company logos, mission statements, and mottos may serve to convey and foster this sense of identity internally and externally. This can pose a challenge in mergers and acquisitions, as the perception of unity with the new organisation, or sense of belonging, may conflict with collective identity. Members often face the task of disassociating from the pre-merger organisation as it dissolves and building a new sense of identity, highlighting the need for close cultural support.  

• Behaviour change through ability, opportunity, and motivation: Empowering people with social skills, social cues, and norms as cornerstones of becoming part of the group, providing opportunities and triggers for people to be around each other and connect, and increasing motivation through reinforcing shared values and goals with the team and organisation at large. 

Leadership 

• Social identity leadership: “Social identity leadership” means leaders taking accountability and ownership to effectively tackle loneliness and enhance their effectiveness by promoting a sense of ‘us’. This includes fostering group cohesion and shared understanding, reinforcing members’ understanding of the group’s norms and values. It also involves their engagement with groups and their initiatives to establish structures, events, and activities that solidify a shared identity, thereby transforming the concept of ‘us’ into tangible reality. 

• Inclusive leadership: Leaders actively fostering an environment where every individual feels valued and respected, thus nurturing a collective sense of belonging and unity. This also includes showing curiosity and humility by not assuming others’ experiences. Truly seeking to understand, creating psychological safety, and having open conversations about people being able to bring their true selves to work and feeling they are part of the team and the organisation. 

• Ownership and accountability: Empower leaders to spot the signs of poor mental health, have difficult conversations, draw healthy boundaries, and signpost to support and be aware of available resources within the organisation. 

Revaluate your DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) and Well-being strategy  

• Holistic, inclusive and whole-person approach: Even though many companies prioritise diversity initiatives, many fail to effectively foster a sense of belonging, even though this is a key expectation of younger generations. Well-being programmes are increasingly adopted by employers who recognise the links between work, health, well-being, and productivity, yet they often show great potential for improvement and effectiveness, particularly in addressing the diverse needs of different generations or other demographics. Loneliness awareness and the importance of meaningful social connections in the workplace can be embedded within policies, strategies, practices and initiatives on DEIB and well-being (e.g. preventative measures and identifying root causes of challenges, culture change to minimise psychosocial risk, training managers to support well-being and have conversations about it, Employee Assistance Programmes, services to support a healthier lifestyle, a strong medical plan, mental health champions).

• Science-based: Gaining insights and initiatives driven by science: Proactively asking employees about loneliness within people surveys may help employers to understand how much of an issue loneliness is for their employees and send a clear message that they recognise the importance of social well-being in the workplace. Targets are most successful when they are accountable, specific and clear, time-bound, challenging but realistic, visible, monitored and dynamic.

Organisational design and workplace environment 

• Workplace design: Implementing a workplace design featuring communal spaces fosters teamwork, facilitating enriching interactions and fostering meaningful connections among employees.

• Shared activities: Encouraging shared activities accommodates diverse preferences for social engagement, thereby enhancing the workplace environment and promoting both well-being and performance. Examples include workshops, internal mentorship and sponsorship initiatives, action planning groups addressing specific issues, and organised social gatherings. Additionally, task interdependence, the degree to which tasks are interconnected and lean on others’ contributions, and supportive behaviour are also highly beneficial. 

• Communication channels: Ensuring regular meaningful engagements and effective communication channels. Utilising diverse communication methods, including chat platforms, telephone calls, and video conferencing, alongside scheduling informal interactions, contributes to mitigating feelings of isolation and loneliness among employees.  

• Hybrid working biases: Identifying and challenging key biases that may arise in hybrid settings is essential. For example, biases such as the Psychological Distance Effect—where physical distance correlates with psychological distance—suggest that remote workers may feel less attached and included, necessitating additional efforts from organisations to foster their inclusion. Additionally, the risk of in-group/out-group behaviours may lead to exclusion and hinder collaboration. Availability Bias, the potential tendency for leaders to favour those who are physically present more often, may affect decisions related to stretch assignments, pay, and promotions. These biases need to be identified, tested, openly discussed, and addressed through actions such as learning and process improvements.

Social needs and networks:  

• Multiple social groups: Identifying with multiple social groups further increases well-being because this generally provides people access to more social identity-based psychological resources. For example, employee networks, employee resource groups, affinity networks/diversity networks and other ways of coming together may support people at different stages of their lives and around shared interests or concerns (e.g. new parents, approaching retirement, having caring responsibilities). External peer support networks and professional groups may be helpful for remote workers. 

• Social needs and experiences: Ensuring positive interactions, teamwork, and social learning, particularly when working with people from diverse educational backgrounds and cultures, as highlighted by the needs of younger colleagues, is essential. This can be addressed through strategies such as incorporating it into onboarding processes or coaching and mentoring programmes, especially during transitional periods. Additionally, it is crucial to provide inclusive initiatives and resources that address individual needs. These needs include a desire for self-actualisation – the state where we can fulfil our potential –, status, certainty and safety, autonomy, relatedness and belonging, fairness, which encompass desired job criteria for younger colleagues, such as competitive salary, flexible hours, stability, and a friendly, inclusive work culture.

• Allyship and champions: When employees perceive they have allies at work, dedicated to their inclusion and demonstrating supportive behaviours, it slowly and deliberately changes the norms of the organisation. Consequently, they may feel less likely to be lonely or excluded. Even a single ally exhibiting fair and inclusive leadership may significantly bolster a sense of belonging within a team.

Loneliness in the workplace is not simply an individual concern but a systemic challenge. By comprehending the profound impact of loneliness on engagement, productivity, turnover, and overall workplace culture, organisations can no longer afford to overlook its effects. Proactive measures to foster belonging, such as cultivating culture change, identity leadership, re-evaluating DEIB and well-being initiatives, redesigning workplace environments, and promoting meaningful social connections, are paramount. Therefore, organisations must prioritise strategies that address loneliness head-on, enhancing employee well-being, engagement, productivity, and ultimately, organisational success.