What I have seen this year is an amped up effort to improve employee engagement, inclusiveness, respect and connections within the workplace.  As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I heard over and over from CEOs at a recent conference that they are making it their personal mission to take care of their people.

In this effort, we cannot overlook the employee who is lonely or isolated. It could be the former top-performer whose work has fallen off the last several months…or the new employee who is learning the ropes of a new position and trying to determine how she or he fits in…or the remote worker whose only connection to their coworkers is via technology…or the struggling employee who turns away any offers from coworkers to help with a project.

An employee doesn’t have to be alone to feel lonely. As reported by CNN Business, workplaces are more connected and open than in the past, but workers are still feeling lonely and isolated on the job. Email, texts, instant messaging have all added convenience and efficiency to workplace communications, but they also limit personal connections and keep employees from important human interactions.

In Forbes, it was noted that the present day workplace has been converted to co-working spaces. For those still working together in a building, watercooler talk has been replaced with text and instant messages, and meetings are held virtually via WebEx, Skype or other video/audio conferencing. Close friendships have been replaced by thousands of social media connections and staying in touch has been relegated to online wall posts.

In a RescueTime blog, Dan Schawbel, author of Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation, states that despite the illusion of a 24/7 connection, in reality, most employees feel isolated from their colleagues, their organization and its leaders. What they crave most – and what research increasingly shows to be the hallmark of the highest-performing workplace cultures – is a sense of authentic connection with others. When employees replace emotional connections with digital ones, they lose the sense of being present and the feeling of being alive.

In addition, your employee engagement efforts could be sabotaged if you have a number of employees who feel lonely or isolated.  CNN Business reports that researchers have found that lonely employees were less committed to the company and seemed less approachable to their colleagues. In addition to their own isolation, these employees can spread their own loneliness to others who mimic their behavior.

So, what can you do to create an environment where all employees feel connected and included, and, at the same time, ensure that your long-term employee engagement efforts aren’t derailed?

  • Onboarding – It starts at the beginning of the employee’s relationship with the company. Make sure your employees feel supported as they transition into the nuts and bolts of their new position, but also provide opportunities for new employees to interact with current employees that pass muster with the most introverted of your new recruits.
  • Recognize hard work – Let employees know that you noticed and appreciated their hard work. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Sometimes a “thank you” from a supervisor, department manager or the leadership team can go a long way.
  • Listen – If your former high-performer is now struggling, provide a safe place for him or her to share what may be the problem. Tread lightly if a personal issue that the employee doesn’t want to discuss, but assure him or her that you are there to support him or her. As much as we want to believe that “work” and “home” are separate, they are not, and we need to recognize that employees are bringing stresses and burdens with them to work every day. Our job as employers is to help an employee manage both.  At times, that means we need to recognize that work may be negatively impacted for a while. But you’ll reap benefits long-term with a more satisfied, comfortable and engaged employee.
  • Involve remote employees – Planning a meeting? Ask a remote member of the team to help plan or run the meeting through video conferencing. Use technology to provide them with the tools needed to fully participate and collaborate with their teams.
  • Schedule team-building activities and social functions – Bringing employees together to work together or just chill out together gives them a chance to form relationships with each other.
  • Provide comfortable workspaces – There is a lot of effort being placed on work environments. Now may be the time to consider remodeling your office. If employees are not comfortable, it’s hard to feel valued or do good work.

Taking care of all your people – including those employees who may be struggling more than others – is an important step in building an inclusive and respectful culture and will lead to a more engaged workforce.