Tips for Reducing Loneliness in Remote Work

After 4 years of building an all-remote startup, we're making the shift to hybrid. Here's what I've learned about the real costs and benefits of remote work. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥: Remote work opened doors we never expected. We've built an incredible team across India, Ohio, and beyond—accessing talent pools where we're not competing with Mark Zuckerberg's paychecks but finding people who are just as capable and hungry to grow. For parents and experienced professionals, the flexibility has been transformative. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭: What caught me off guard was the mental health impact, especially on people without strong personal support networks. Three years of sitting alone at home when working, combined with startup intensity, takes a toll. For people under 30—many of whom are single — the loneliness can become overwhelming. Add in smartphone dependency and AI replacing human interaction, and we're seeing concerning trends. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬: 🏢 Proximity by design - Co-working spaces near team members' homes, with at least two people per city when possible 👥 Buddy system - Hiring two people per department to create natural support networks 🎯 Proactive check-ins - Training managers to spot early signs of burnout and isolation ⚡ Intentional connection - Moving beyond Slack polls to meaningful virtual team-building The data is clear: remote work isn't going anywhere, but neither are the mental health challenges it creates. The companies that thrive will be those that design intentional solutions. What strategies have you found effective in maintaining team mental health while remote?

How I Overcame the Loneliness of Being a People Person in a Remote Job Working from home is great, but if you're someone who thrives on the energy of other people, It can start to feel like you're the only one left in a never-ending episode of "Survivor." Here are a few tricks to make remote work feel less lonely: 1/ Change of Scenery → Once a week, I make sure to work somewhere other than home. ↳ Local Spots: A hotel lobby during a work trip or the Starbucks down the street helps recharge my social battery. 2/ Real Conversations → I've swapped some emails for actual phone calls. ↳ Simple Check-Ins: Asking "how's your day?" goes a long way. Props to Fenton, Chad, Ray, and Chris for the lively chats! 3/ Stay Active → A daily goal of 12,000 steps helps me stay sharp and energized. ↳ Walk and Think: A brisk walk often leads to some of my best problem-solving. 4/ Focus with Sound → Binaural beats are a staple in my daily routine, keeping me focused and calm for the 75% of my workday. ↳ ADHD Tip: For those who get distracted easily, this could be a game-changer. Your perfect remote work formula is out there. Remember to mix it up, find what clicks, and take care of your mental wellbeing. The right routine can make all the difference. P.S. Who keeps you sane in your remote work life? Tag your virtual coffee buddy below

Remote Isolation I’ve been working remotely for the last 14 years. And the thing I dislike the most about working remotely is the feeling of isolation. Most enterprise sellers and leaders are working remotely today, so I’m sure I’m not alone in this feeling of loneliness. The bad thing about Isolation and loneliness is that it can lead to unhappiness and dissatisfaction with your job, ultimately hurting your performance. In addition, the lack of face-to-face collaboration isn’t helping with our creativity or building interpersonal relationships. It’s hard to whiteboard or build a relationship when all you do is Zoom. Lastly, let’s be honest. We’re just not as motivated sitting in our home offices by ourselves day in and day out. Nothing beats the buzz of a sales environment! However, there is an easy solution to this isolation problem. Get out of your comfort zone, leave your home office, and meet with other human beings face-to-face. The pandemic era has made us less comfortable socializing. Start with baby steps and catch up with ex-colleagues, friends, or new acquaintances in person. - Go to a local co-working location 1x per week. - Set up weekly coffee meetings. - Join local events or meetups. Form or find an industry group near you. - Register for work-related events where you have to travel. - Ask your manager for more frequent in-person team meetings, at least 1x per Quarter. We need to re-train our minds and bodies to get out because it’s not only good for your performance, it’s beneficial to your health. #mentalhealth

As someone with over 15 years of experience managing remote teams in a marketing agency, I understand the importance of creating thriving remote work environments. Prioritizing proactive measures to combat loneliness and isolation is key for retaining top talent, boosting productivity and saving money. Here are three important takeaways from this article: 1. Regular Check-ins: Stay connected with employees, especially new hires, to ensure smooth adaptation to remote work. 2. Foster Friendships: Encourage team bonding through non-work conversations, virtual social events, and mentorship check-ins. 3. Mental Health Support: Create a safe space for mental health discussions and prioritize mental well-being within the company culture.

Work is a major source of human connection - change how we work and we change how we live. Social connection is 3x more important in mortality than obesity - it really matters to our health and longevity. The massive shift in remote/hybrid work has some real benefits, but the downsides can’t be understated. 82% of us feel lonely at work at one time or another. Since this is where we spend most of our waking hours - that’s a big deal. We need to connect with people in real life - it boosts our oxytocin and serotonin (those feel good hormones) that make us feel alive. If you work from home - use it to your advantage to improve your health & longevity, don’t let yourself become so isolated that it degrades your health! 5 Tips for Working Remote - 1. 🎥 Don’t Shy Away From the Camera - more personal interaction (with nonverbal cues) builds trust and connection compared to slack. 2. 📈 Know Your Goals - communicate with your team about what you’re doing, what they’re doing and how it all connects to the bigger picture of the business. 3. 🚰 Maintain the Water Cooler - whether it’s slack or fantasy sports or a scheduled virtual lunch, connect with colleagues beyond work. 4. 🏋♂️ Embrace the Flexible Schedule - work away from home 1x per week, schedule an afternoon workout, get outside, have lunch with friends - engage with the world, don’t just sit at home. 5. 🧘♀️ Create a “Buffer” - take a beat (walk, 5 min of breathing) before going right from work to home life. This last one is huge - we used to have a drive, train ride or some time to separate between work & home. Now we just walk from the office to the living room. In this situation stress at work can spillover into family life - that’s why a buffer can be so powerful. **For all the leaders out there - make sure your team has access and budget to co-working spaces, schedule in-person events (offsites or at HQ), and help facilitate the connections across your team - this needs to be a top priority!

I love the convenience of working remotely, and the flexibility it offers to bring in dynamic talent, but it breaks one of my most important rules: We shouldn’t eat alone. There’s just something that happens when two people sit down over food. You have to put down your phone for a minute, enjoy the nuance of the meal, and shift your focus to what’s present before you. We get a little more honest, and a little more comfortable. That’s when the best conversations happen. I miss team lunch. It’s hard to fabricate that now, and I think there's a huge loss in that. I’ve tried to acclimate the experience with Zoom, but of course, it’s not quite the same. It’s worth putting in the effort to try. Create time for your teams to have those breaks. Send gift cards to cover a coffee or order them delivery. Look for opportunities to meet in person, even if infrequent. Those little moments delight them, build connections, and make the experience of working for your organization more rewarding.

Remote work isn't for everyone. I wasn't sure if it would be for me, to be honest. But I really needed a better situation for my family, so I took the plunge into working from home back in May of 2022. Because sharing our experiences can help others feel seen and less alone, I wanted to share a few of my recent reflections on remote work, as a tried and true extrovert who is also neurodiverse. So, here they are! ☃️ It's possible to build strong relationships in a virtual environment, but it does take a lot of intentionality and creativity. I try to stay as involved with culture-building both on my team and on a company level as much as possible. ☃️ As an employee, I have found that joining my company's Culture Advisory Team helps me feel more plugged into the vision because I get to contribute ideas for activities and events that help my co-workers feel seen and valued as humans and not just as employees. ☃️ Participating in dress-up days in a virtual work environment is just as fun for me as getting decked out for spirit days as a teacher used to be. ☃️ Working on a team that is full of people who share a person-first mindset and look for ways to lead from their current roles makes working remotely feel like a shared experience, rather than an isolating one. ☃️ Remote teams can still have fun together! The pic below shows my ecstatic reaction to the Secret Santa gifts I received at our team's virtual holiday party. ☃️ Finding your people is just as important in remote work as it is with in-person work. I've always been the type of person that needed a few solid go-to work friends that I can vent to, laugh with, and get parenting advice from. As a remote employee, I've still been able to establish meaningful friendships with co-workers who live states away. ☃️ Being open about my status as a neurodiverse person at work has helped me find support through colleagues who also find themselves using a lot of mental, emotional, and organizational strategies to navigate remote work. 🤔 If you work in a remote environment, how do you feel about it? What benefits or drawbacks have you experienced? 🤔 If you don't work remotely but want to, what aspect of remote work are you most looking forward to? #remotework #workfromhome #remote #wfh 👇🏿👇🏻👇🏼👇🏽👇🏾👇🏿👇🏻👇🏼👇🏽👇🏾👇🏿 Hi, I'm Lauren and I'm a #transitionedteacher turned Curriculum Developer. Follow me for more content related to #education, #mentalhealth, #transitioningteachers, and #socialemotionallearning tips!

Last week, one of our contractors resigned unexpectedly. When I asked him why, he explained that he had set high expectations for his performance, which he felt he wasn’t meeting. He believed resigning would be doing the client a favor. However, the client had no issues with his performance and considered him a valued team member. It would be a shame for him to leave, according to the client’s feedback. Why did he feel this way? He lives alone, works on a global, fully remote project, and none of his friends are in IT to discuss his day-to-day experiences. As a result, he found himself isolated and in his own bubble. After discussing his feelings and how ITRAC and the client could support him, we found a way to help. We also provided advice on what to do if he finds himself in a similar situation in the future. By the end of the call, he felt much more positive and decided to stay on the project. While remote working has its benefits, it may not be suitable for everyone. If you are a remote worker feeling isolated, don’t suffer in silence. Reach out to anyone you can, attend in-person user groups to meet peers, or even travel and work from different locations to meet new people. Don’t remain in your own space with no one to talk to. If you’re a company with a remote workforce, regularly check in on your team’s mental health and provide frequent feedback, not just during annual reviews. This can make a big difference. Many people tend to ask “How are you?” and move on without truly noticing. Next time, after someone replies with “I’m good,” ask again, “But how are you really?” This can go a long way.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 doesn't mean 𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 from your Team! A few Young Professionals in Oil & Energy reached out to me recently and asked me how I feel integrated to my team while working remotely. Many young professionals think that remote work will hinder their integration into the team and make them feel isolated. However, my personal experience has proven otherwise. Initially, I had similar concerns. I wondered how I could build meaningful relationships with my teammates and feel like a part of the team when we weren't together in the same physical space. But then, my manager (Allison Kelly) introduced weekly check-ins, and they changed everything. During these weekly catch-ups, we didn't just discuss work-related matters. Instead, we talked about our lives, shared personal stories, and built genuine connections. These casual conversations helped bridge the employee-manager relationship gap, making me feel valued and integrated into the team, despite working remotely. Moreover, these check-ins reminded me that I wasn't alone in my remote work journey. My manager understood the challenges and made conscious efforts to ensure I didn't feel isolated. This supportive approach not only boosted my morale but also fostered a stronger sense of belonging within the team. So if you are a looking to kickstart your 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 Journey as a 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 in Oil & Energy, don't let the fear of isolation deter you. With the right communication strategies and a supportive team, you can feel just as integrated and connected as you would in a traditional office setting. I hope this helps 👍

Reviewing the comments on my previous questions and thoughts about working from home and specifically working in Sales from home, it is evident that we all have our own opinions about what works for us and our own companies and industries, which is completely fine. Still, to me, the biggest aspect I miss, and I worry that a company and/or individuals will miss out on in a WFH model, is CULTURE. CULTURE and collaboration were so important to me and all of us at LYONSCG. I thought I'd share a few ideas to help build a positive work culture in a remote environment, whether hybrid or full-time: 1. Start a #kudos channel in Slack. I know of several organizations that have implemented this to great success. It's so simple to do and the resulting positive energy is so energizing. Here's how it works: whenever someone crushes something in their role, you let the rest of the company know. Sometimes one positive kudos note can open the floodgates of compliments. Let your teammates know when they're doing a great job. Like I said, super simple! 2. Create rituals to build bonds. Examples could be Hawaiian shirt Fridays or weekly coffee connections on Zoom with pets. I'd suggest posing a few options to employees to find out what would resonate for them. Make it unique, make it your own. Start something that fits your culture and stick with it. Would love to hear about any places that have implemented successful rituals! 3. Be understanding of employees' needs. Everyone will experience working from home differently. Some will struggle more than others with the lack of human-to-human connection. It's difficult to portray tone in digital messages, which can be a challenge for some people. Others, however, will thrive with the freedom of working in their own space. Designating an individual or team to oversee this area is very helpful. The point is, consistent check-ins with all employees will ensure that everyone's needs are being met, resulting in the company and everyone maximizing their potential. These are just three ideas—let me know yours! #LifeIsSales #WFH #WorkCulture