It’s Loneliness Awareness Week, a global initiative by the Marmalade Trust, and this year marks its 10th anniversary. For 2026, the theme is all about helping to give loneliness a voice. When we think about loneliness, we often think about it as something that happens outside work. But I think this is a conversation we need to be having inside organisations too. Because for many people, work is where they spend most of their time.
The design flaw in modern life
Loneliness Awareness Week has got me thinking about what I see as a design flaw in modern society.
In many ways, it has never been easier or more comfortable to live. We have technology that makes life incredibly convenient. We can order what we need in seconds, speak to people across the world instantly, automate tasks, access information quickly and work from almost anywhere.
Of course, there are still huge pressures in life and work. But in many practical ways, technology has made things easier.
The challenge is that some of that convenience may also be making it harder to belong. The same technology that helps us stay connected can also erode trust, connection and community. We can be constantly available, always online and digitally linked to hundreds or thousands of people, yet still feel socially disconnected.
That is the paradox many of us are living in. We are hyper-connected, but socially disconnected.
Are our environments becoming isolagenic?
A word I often use when talking about this is “isolagenic”, which means causing or promoting disconnection.
I think many of our modern environments have become isolagenic. Not always intentionally. In fact, often the opposite. Hybrid working, remote working and digital tools have brought enormous benefits. They have created more flexibility, more autonomy and, in many cases, better access to work for people who may previously have been excluded.
But there can also be a cost. The small moments of connection can disappear.
- The conversation before a meeting starts.
- A quick laugh and natter whilst making a tea or a coffee.
- A chance encounter in a corridor.
- Or maybe the moment when someone else notices that you are not quite yourself.
These might seem like minor interactions, but they often form the social fabric of work. They help people feel seen, included and part of something.
When those moments of connection reduce, or disappear entirely, it becomes much easier for people to drift into disconnection.
Loneliness belongs in the workplace wellbeing conversation
The wider data on loneliness is concerning. One in six people experience loneliness, and 22% say they feel lonely every day, up from 20% last year (Gallup).
Our own data in the State of Workplace Wellbeing Report 2026 points to a similar issue in the workplace. 42% of people surveyed said they struggled to build supportive relationships, up from 27% the previous year. That is a sharp rise.
And it tells us something important. Connection at work cannot be left to chance.
If people are struggling to build supportive relationships, that has implications for wellbeing, resilience, belonging, trust and performance. It affects how safe people feel to speak up. It affects collaboration. It affects whether people feel able to ask for help when they need it.
Loneliness is not just a personal issue. It is a human issue. And because workplaces are made up of humans, it is also an organisational issue.
The opportunity for organisations
In the face of AI, automation and rapid technological change, there is a huge opportunity for organisations to think carefully about what really matters. Optimising solely for speed can have a hidden cost.
Technology will continue to advance. We will derive benefits from it, and in many ways we already are. AI can help us work faster, reduce friction and support productivity.
But I also think the more embedded technology becomes in our lives, the more important it will be to reconnect with what it means to be human.
That may be the paradox. The more technology develops, the more valuable human connection becomes.
The competitive advantage for organisations now is not simply to be more efficient, more automated or more digitally advanced. It is to be more people-focused.
That means creating environments where people can connect properly. Where trust can build. Where conversations can happen. Where people feel seen and understood, not just managed and measured.
Giving loneliness a voice at work
The theme of Loneliness Awareness Week this year is about giving loneliness a voice. That means creating space to talk openly about loneliness, recognising it as part of being human, and helping people feel seen and understood.
When loneliness can be spoken about, connection becomes possible. This is where workplaces can play such an important role.
Leaders, managers, HR teams and people professionals all have an opportunity to shape environments where connection is not accidental, but intentional.
That does not necessarily mean grand gestures or complicated initiatives. It might start with something much simpler.
- Making time for proper check-ins.
- Creating opportunities for informal connection.
- Training managers to notice signs of disconnection.
- Designing meetings and working rhythms that leave room for human interaction.
- Encouraging people to talk about loneliness without shame or judgement.
These small changes can and will have a big impact. One way we can combat loneliness is to start where people already are, which for many, that place is work.
A question for leaders
If you are running an organisation, managing a team or influencing the people agenda, this is worth reflecting on. Are you creating an environment that supports connection? Or, unintentionally, are you designing for disconnection?
In a world of hybrid working, remote working, AI and constant digital communication, connection needs to be designed in. It will not always happen by default.
So perhaps the question to start with is this:
When was the last time you really checked in on your teammates? Not just a quick “How are you?” in passing. But really checked in.
That may feel like a simple place to begin. But sometimes, simple human connection is exactly what is needed.
Marmalade Trust offers support for people of all ages who are experiencing loneliness. The team launched Loneliness Awareness Week in 2017 and now work with partners across the world to raise awareness and inspire people to create connections. They have a huge array of free resources and advice on their website.
Is your organisation seeing signs of disconnection and loneliness?
My BOND keynote explores why connection matters so much in modern workplaces, especially in a world of hybrid working, digital communication and rapid technological change.
It helps organisations understand how to strengthen trust, belonging and human connection in ways that support both wellbeing and performance. Book a call and we can explore bringing this message to your teams.
