Remote Work Isolation Isn't About Being Alone

Isolation means objectively being alone or set apart from others. Loneliness is a feeling we can have when we’re involuntarily or unduly isolated. If remote work isolation and loneliness are an issue, wouldn’t physically bringing coworkers together sort it out?

Perhaps not. The feeling of loneliness is what makes isolation known and stressful. And we can feel alone anywhere.

TL;DR

• Isolation can be more about feeling alone than actually being alone.
• In-office workers experience daily loneliness only 9% less than remote workers.
• Small, frequent connections can alleviate feelings of loneliness on remote teams.

Remote work isolation is real, but not exclusive.

In general, remote employees approve of and pursue WFA arrangements. There’s no commute, fewer wardrobe requirements, and many even report less burnout. As a result, their daily engagement tends to be higher. Nice!

However, they may be trading that for a greater risk of isolation and loneliness.

• One study finds that loneliness measurably increases when employees work remotely three days a week or more.
• A comprehensive review suggests the problem is reduced informal socialization. That makes remote work loneliness a bigger challenge for employees who live alone. 
• Another extensive review and research agenda list the root causes of work loneliness as a lack of connection and belonging. Not proximity to coworkers. 

All of the above have been cited as a reason to make the return to the office. Yet 16% of employees who never work remotely state they experience daily loneliness at work. That’s less than 10% away from the 25% of fully remote workers who suffer the same. 

A 9% reduction in workplace loneliness isn’t nothing. But it does go to show that in-person presence isn’t a panacea for the modern condition: a lack of connection.

What makes remote work loneliness worse?

Remote work offers more autonomy, and as such, employees have a personal responsibility to manage feelings of loneliness. Enforcing boundaries between work and life at home and pursuing social interactions when off work are chief among these.

Still, there are a few reasons loneliness persists that are well within company control.

Endlessly submitting into a void.

Completing reports, submitting PRs, closing tickets. What are we expecting, a medal? This is what we’re responsible for in exchange for financial compensation. However, no response, reaction, or feedback makes what we do feel unimportant, even if our activity is being tracked. Some authors suggest it feels like our work is being rejected. 

Getting recognized…for being wrong.

If you want proof that someone bothered looking at the finished product, do it wrong! No, really, mess it up a little bit. Some feedback loops are purely corrective. The truth is that once an isolated remote worker starts slipping in performance, they could already be on their way out. Increased negative feedback can speed that along.  

Lack of purpose, community, or both.

Research again and again shows that the most high-impact forms of socialization on remote teams are informal and natural. Rehashing an incident with coworkers, discussing a TV show on social channels. If you don’t have this, and you don’t know whether your work is necessary or well received at all, you are completely isolated.

Remote team connection strategies to make teams feel seen

Should you add an all-hands or an off-site? Those are good connection opportunities, but they don’t solve the problem. Habits and principles that surface contributions and celebrate humans daily are better remote team connection strategies.

Share works in progress.

Replicate that in-office tap on the shoulder by normalizing the sharing of outlines and plans. Loom video walkthroughs and brainstorming are also better for nuance and async communication.

How it helps: Generates more feedback and collaboration. All types of sharing help build connections. In-progress sharing increases our confidence in submitting the final product, even if we don’t get that immediate feedback.

Connect work to humans.

Sharing metrics is fine, but they may not have as much meaning when employees are isolated in their roles. When sharing “Our CSAT has increased 6%,” be sure to clarify with, “The approach Eren shared to address that recurring complaint prevented a lot of rage reviews.”

How it helps: It proves that people exist and have a purpose on the team. We’re excelling instead of facelessly doing what we’re “supposed to.” Most importantly, it demonstrates that a company knows humans are contributors to its success, not invisible metric-movers.

Written memories and artifacts.

If more companies did remote culture right, they’d realize they have an edge over many offices. A lot of little memories from in-person interactions fade. Remote-first cultures can record and revisit the good stuff any time they please. Save Slack threads, solution docs, awards, customer reviews, and leave comments praising work.

How it helps: They can serve as an at-will mood boost. But these practices become rituals themselves, creating a bond among team members. It becomes common to share a 🌮 of recognition in chat, post a compliment on the virtual employee wall, or write someone a special message for their work anniversary.

Let everyone belong without performing.

When some people feel their work isn’t being sufficiently acknowledged, their impulse is to overexplain it. This isn’t unlike office settings, where people attempt to look as though they’re always doing something. In a remote setting, this can also mean certain people always drive the conversation.

Watch for recognition biases, and be sure to praise things that aren’t strictly output-related. Core values on display, a joke that lightens the mood, or an interesting idea.

How it helps: Introverts and people with lower morale will want to participate once they see they don’t have to be “on” all the time to fit in. An inclusive, connected remote work culture applies very little pressure, even if the culture itself is carefully designed. 

The cure for remote work isolation isn’t more meetings. It’s more tacos.

HeyTaco gets more daily use than other peer recognition tools because it’s chat-native and very informal. It also implements a daily taco limit instead of a monthly one, so users aren’t gaming the system for end-of-the-month rewards. 

Rewards can still be a very unifying and ritualized part of remote recognition, though. Acadia has 300 employees flung about 19 countries, but they stay connected through recognition, rituals, and rewards. From the Wall of Fame to Taco Champions and charitable donations, they’ve busted up remote work isolation, one taco at a time.

So much so that the team likes to send one another tacos on their days off.

"When you're remote, those little moments of appreciation matter more than ever."

• TiAnna Conway, People Team Lead at Acadia

Learn how HeyTaco works and start building more easy, natural connections with a free trial.