October 23, 2024
Axios recently published an article featuring research from Constance Noonan Hadley, Research Associate Professor of Management and Organizations, on the complex relationship between work arrangements and loneliness.
While working from home can lead to feelings of isolation, returning to the office full-time doesn’t necessarily alleviate this loneliness. The study co-authored by Hadley revealed that lonely workers are less productive and more likely to quit their jobs.
The researchers surveyed 1,000 full-time office workers in knowledge fields and found that many lonely employees still engaged in significant face-to-face interaction, yet this did not improve their feelings of connection. Notably, there was little difference in feelings of loneliness between those working full-time in the office and those on hybrid schedules, while fully remote workers generally reported feeling slightly lonelier.
The findings suggest that factors beyond work arrangements significantly influence feelings of loneliness.
