October 23, 2025
ABC Radio recently featured Constance Noonan Hadley, Research Associate Professor of Management & Organizations, on This Working Life, where she explored how organizations can identify workplace loneliness and foster stronger employee connections.
Hadley emphasized that loneliness is a subjective experience of unwanted social distance, shaped by each individual’s unique needs. It is often mistakenly blamed on remote work or job dissatisfaction, when in fact it stems from a deeper sense of disconnection—one that can drive frustration, disengagement, and stress.
To help quantify this, Hadley developed the Work Loneliness Scale, a five-question tool that allows employees to assess their level of loneliness as low, moderate, or high. In one study, 47% of participants reported moderate or high loneliness, with junior employees more likely to feel disconnected than their managerial counterparts.
Addressing workplace loneliness requires intentional design of the organizational environment. “When you think about it as a social system, then the system architects and the system leaders have a lot of responsibility for creating the right environment,” Hadley adds.
By measuring and understanding loneliness, organizations can take proactive steps to build more connected, supportive workplaces—improving both employee well-being and overall organizational performance.
