When you ask anyone who chose to work from home what kind of benefits they enjoy from their setup, they’d probably give you a long list. Some would mention the flexibility of their schedules and the time they save from avoiding the daily commute as the top advantages they love. On the flip side, work from home loneliness can often leave a lot of remote workers feeling isolated.
As far back as 2003, studies have shown that work from home loneliness has been prevalent among remote workers. Meanwhile, newer research found that two in three employees feel isolated when they work from home. So, if you don’t want loneliness to spoil your work-from-home experience, this guide will show you tips on how to combat feelings of isolation and foster a sense of community and connection in your professional life.
The Prevalence of Remote Work
According to a 2023 WFHResearch survey, 12.7% of full-time employees in the U.S. are working from home all days of the week. By 2025, Upwork estimates that about 32.6 million or 22% of the workforce in America will be working remotely. And according to Buffer’s State of Remote Work report, 97% of these remote workers would like to keep their current setup.
By looking at the statistics, it’s safe to conclude that the trend will continue towards an upward movement. With more and more people preferring to work from home across industries like IT, marketing, and finance, we mustn’t disparage the importance of combatting loneliness. After all, 80% of individuals who exclusively work from home tend to have poorer mental health.
The Causes of Work from Home Loneliness
While working from home has its advantages, it also comes with a unique set of challenges, especially when it comes to feeling lonely. Let’s break down why that happens:
Lack of face-to-face interaction
In the office, you can have coffee breaks, casual conversations, and quick catch-ups with your colleagues. However, working remotely means that you lose those spontaneous face-to-face interactions. Sometimes, those brief conversations make a world of difference in making your workday interesting.
Communication gaps
Despite having a plethora of tools at your fingertips—think Slack, Zoom, and email—the quality of your interactions doesn’t always keep up with the quantity. Language barriers, cultural differences, and the sheer volume of messages can dilute the essence of your communications. What you end up with is a lot of talking but not a lot of connecting.
Lack of technical support
Sure, you can work anywhere as long as you have a laptop and internet connection. However, that usually means that tech troubles are your responsibility. In some cases, companies wouldn’t even provide the support that work-from-home employees need when they encounter problems with their computers. Naturally, this can leave you feeling isolated and lonely.
Tips for Battling Work from Home Loneliness
Any digital nomad or remote worker has felt lonely at one point because of their work conditions. The good news is there are plenty of ways to keep that isolating feeling at bay. Here are some tips to ensure that work-from-home loneliness doesn’t become a norm in your life:
Establish a Remote Work Routine
One of the foundations of building a healthy work-from-home environment and fighting loneliness is establishing a stable routine. Here are some ways you can build a routine that not only improves your focus and productivity but also supports your mental health and helps you create a sense of community:
Set Regular Working Hours
What’s great about following a consistent schedule is it benefits you and your entire team. Setting regular hours for work allows your colleagues to know when you’re accessible, effectively creating boundaries and better collaboration. So, to maintain a healthy work-life balance, you should choose clear start and end times for your workday. Taking this approach will make it easier for you to switch off work mode and enjoy your personal time.
Morning Rituals
A study published in the Academy of Management Journal found that the start-of-the-workday mood of employees affect their outlook and performance for the entire day. So, if you want to begin your day with the right food, engage in morning rituals like exercising, stretching, and practicing mindfulness. Doing so will mentally prepare you for the day ahead and help you transition from “rest” to “work” mode.
Dress for Success
It may sound tempting to work in your jammies all day, but dressing in work-appropriate yet comfortable attire can significantly boost your work mindset. By incorporating this into your routine, you’re not only making a positive impression on your virtual colleagues, but you’re also signaling your brain that it’s time to work.
Create a Dedicated Workspace
Setting boundaries at home is also a crucial part of establishing a remote work routine. By creating a dedicated workspace, you’re reducing distractions, transitioning into work mode, and increasing focus. After all, you’re not constantly interrupted by other people passing through the kitchen or getting tempted to lie down on your bed. Taking this approach is like telling your brain, “This is where I work.”
Prioritize Tasks
Unless you have a great virtual personal assistant to help manage your schedule, you’d have to learn how to prioritize tasks. Having a clear list of tasks at the beginning of the day can be a good start as it steers your focus and ensures that you’re working on urgent and important projects. Once you start learning how to prioritize your tasks, you’ll notice an improvement on how you manage your workload. What’s more, you’ll free up your time, allowing you to have meaningful connections outside of work.
Block Time for Breaks
The breaks you take are as important as the work you do. You can prevent burnout by having scheduled breaks that lets you refresh your mind and boost your productivity. During this time, make an effort to stand up from your chair. You can have some light stretches, a brief outdoor walk, or a few minutes of meditation. Using these short breaks efficiently can help you improve your mental and physical wellbeing.
Use Time Blocks
Sometimes, blurring the line between work and personal time can cause loneliness while working remotely. So, to improve your time management skills, try dividing your day into specific time blocks for different activities or tasks. By following this method, you’re creating a realistic schedule for your professional life and personal time, ensuring a balanced day.
Foster Virtual Communications
If meeting other people personally isn’t feasible, you can still combat work from home loneliness by creating and nurturing virtual connections. Aside from bridging the gap of physical distance, this approach also brings a sense of community and belonging into your workday.
For example, you can hold virtual meetings to establish engaging and personal communication with your clients or coworkers. Go beyond the basic text messaging or email exchanges. Taking advantage of digital communication platforms allows for the nuances of face-to-face interaction.
Another option would be to join online forums, virtual coworking spaces, or industry groups. In these digital communities, you can find other people who share the same experience as yours. What’s more, they can offer networking opportunities that allow you to get the motivation and support you need. As a result, you can significantly reduce feelings of isolation while you work from home.
Schedule Regular Check-Ins
Scheduling regular check-ins is a powerful antidote to work from home loneliness. Aside from serving as channels for work updates, periodic meetings can also create the communal aspect of work that’s often neglected in remote settings. Besides, when you have check-ins with your team members, business partners, or managers, you can seek feedback and share ideas. Consequently, you’re fostering a culture of accountability and openness.
Additionally, scheduling regular check-ins ensures that despite the physical distance, you're not just a name behind a screen but an integral part of a collaborative team. In a way, you can remind yourself and other people in your team that even in the solitude of your home offices, you’re still connected. Everyone will work towards common goals feeling supported, aligned, and motivated. This practice can be a good reminder that you’re not alone in your journey.
Sensory Breaks
Incorporating sensory breaks into your work routine can also battle the monotony and isolation that can come from remote work. After all, these breaks can serve as an essential reminder that there’s a whole world out there beyond your workstation. When you step outside, you change your scenery and immerse yourself in various textures, smells, and sounds. This engagement with the physical world can rejuvenate your senses, offering a fresh perspective and sparking creativity.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, even a brief time outdoors can improve a person’s mental health and cognitive function. So, to combat loneliness, go out and feel the warmth of the sun, the breeze on your skin, and the grass under your feet.
Now, if going outside isn’t possible, you can also listen to calming music or nature sounds. Doing so can give you a mental reset, allowing you to improve your focus and reduce stress. After all, taking sensory breaks can encourage you to stay grounded and connected to the tangible world.
Create Reverse To-Do Lists
When you’re working remotely, you can easily feel you’re constantly catching up with your tasks. What’s more, the physical disconnection can make it seem like all your efforts are disappearing into the void. Well, creating a reverse to-do list allows you to flip this narrative by highlighting the value you contribute to your team each day.
When you take this approach, you won’t start your day by creating a to-do list. Instead, you’ll work on your list throughout the day, adding every task you’ve completed. This method is effective because, for starters, it gives you a tangible record of your accomplishments. In a way, you’re getting a much-needed sense of progress and pride.
What’s more, creating a reverse to-do list can significantly boost your motivation and morale, especially on days when isolation weighs heavily or tasks seem to keep piling up. At the end of the day, you can go through your list of completed tasks. The reinforcement of your effectiveness can bring you a rewarding and satisfying feeling. So, even in a solitary work environment, you’d still feel accomplished and connected.
Prioritizing Mental Health
As a remote worker, you need to make an effort to prioritize your mental health. After all, working this way easily blurs the lines between professional and personal life, contributing to work from home loneliness. So, it is crucial that you set boundaries and dedicate time to activities that support your overall wellbeing. However, the effort does not lie solely on the remote worker.
For example, a Simon Fraser University study discussed the benefits of providing mindfulness training to remote employees. Moreover, the research reported that such a practice can help employees disconnect from work whenever necessary.
Hetal Parikh, Forbes Councils member, also recommended ways wherein companies can encourage remote employees to prioritize mental health. For one, organizations should establish clear polices for work hours and availabilities. By having these guidelines, employees who work from home can easily create boundaries between their professional and personal life.
Moreover, Parikh mentioned that managers should foster a supportive culture by showing empathy and creating confidential channels for communication. This way, remote workers know that they can vent their feelings without fear of repercussions or judgement.
Don’t Fall Prey to Work from Home Loneliness
Statistics clearly indicate that remote work is still on the rise, with an increasing number of individuals enjoying its advantages across various industries. However, this phenomenon has also brought to light the critical challenge of combatting loneliness.
Thankfully, working from home doesn’t have to mean working alone. By establishing a healthy routine, scheduling breaks, and creating meaningful connections, you can keep your mental health in check. You can redefine what it means to work from home and transform it from a solitary experience into a rich, communal journey.
Eunice Samson’s interest in keeping up with the “bleeding edge” of technology has led her to a career in digital marketing. She’s currently writing SEO content for eCommerce, SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS companies. Aside from searching for opportunities to increase her online marketing knowledge, Eunice also scours the Internet for useful bonuses and coupon codes that she can use to fuel her love for photography. During her free time, she watches professional photo retouching tutorials between streaming her favorite TV shows. Fun fact: Eunice has never met a cupcake she didn’t like.
