Remote work is lonely — personal coaching benefits can help

Employees are getting lonely working from home, but personal coaching benefits can give them what they crave — a listening ear.

Three out of five American workers reported feeling lonely during the pandemic, according to a Cigna study. The study found that loneliness has a negative impact on work performance; 12% of lonely workers say they believe the quality of their work isn’t up to par. These workers also reported feeling “less engaged, less productive” and they constantly think about quitting their jobs.

Read more: How employers can ease the strain of COVID-19 isolation

Remote workers are the most prone to these feelings, the study says, which can ultimately lead to burnout. When left unaddressed, burnout costs employers $125 to $190 billion in lost productivity and healthcare costs, according to Gallup. Employers can help address burnout by ensuring that employees are socializing with colleagues and personal coaches.

“For many people, going to work was just as much a social event as well as a work event,” says Moe AlKadi, CEO and co-founder of Sibly, a personal coaching benefit. “Without those spontaneous conversations, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain our mental health. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is provide a listening ear.”

Read more: 10 companies with the worst employee burnout

AlKadi’s company connects employees with personal coaches who can help talk them through personal problems, or just provide companionship. He spoke in a recent interview about how employers can help prevent loneliness in a digital workforce.

Why do you think remote work is making employees lonely?

During these strange and stressful times, we’re spending our time in front of a computer, instead of in an office full of people. Now, when you want to talk to someone, you have to schedule a meeting over phone or Zoom. These meetings are for specific purposes, so you can’t have spontaneous conversations like we used to in the office.

Is there anything employers can do about it?

It really starts with company culture, and managers play a huge role in that. The best thing they can do is encourage employees to schedule time to have fun conversations with their coworkers to catch up on everyone’s personal lives. The new normal requires everyone to take initiative and reach out — doing this with people throughout the organization also helps foster professional development.

How do employers help employees who are currently struggling with loneliness?

Personal coaching benefits can be a real asset to a company’s EAP. At Sibly, users are connected with trained coaches who can talk people through a variety of problems, both professional and personal. Sometimes all the employee needs is someone who will listen; everyone wants to feel heard. One time, we had an employee call who was having relationship issues and it was affecting their work. Talking to our coach helped that person process their feelings so they could go home and have a constructive conversation with their spouse. Another time we helped someone who was going through a difficult divorce; our coach listened, but was also able to connect them with an attorney.