25/08/22
Category: B1+ and up / Tag: , , , , , , ,  / Add Comment

Employee Loneliness Hurts Your Bottom Line. Here’s How to Help

A new study shows a quarter of all respondents said they have no friends on the job, and 64 percent reported feeling lonely at work.

 

 

Read the article and choose the best answer A-D to the questions below:

 

https://www.inc.com/bruce-crumley/employee-loneliness-hurts-your-bottom-line-heres-how-to-help

 

1. Despite 80% of workers being back in the office, what issue persists?
A) Lack of productivity
B) Workplace loneliness
C) Skills shortages
D) Employee strikes

2. According to the Bingo Card Creator survey, how many hours does an average employee spend at work in their lifetime?
A) 60,000
B) 70,000
C) 80,000
D) 90,000

3. Which group was most likely to report having no friends at work?
A) Women
B) Men under 30
C) Employees aged 18–39
D) Employees aged 40–45

4. What percentage of employees said they wished they could be closer with coworkers?
A) 25%
B) 46%
C) 60%
D) 63%

5. According to the Cigna Group, workplace loneliness costs businesses approximately how much annually?
A) $200 billion
B) $250 billion
C) $300 billion
D) $350 billion

6. What percentage of employees said having friends at work influences whether they stay with an employer?
A) 63%
B) 46%
C) 64%
D) 71%

7. Which standardized tool can managers use to identify loneliness among employees?
A) The Employee Happiness Index
B) The Productivity Benchmark Test
C) The Corporate Culture Survey

D) The Work Loneliness Scale

 
Key: 1B; 2D; 3A; 4B; 5C; 6A; 7D

 

Glossary

 

  • confined – (~ space or area is) small and enclosed by walls
  • to cite – to enumerate
  • to forge – to make an effort to develop a successful relationship with a person, organization, etc.
  • prone – having a tendency or inclination; being likely

 

 

Practice makes perfect

Watch an excerpt of the video (2:55 – 5:05) and complete the sentence gaps with missing words:

 

 

(…) I feel like a lot of people think that it is a big, scary thing to be online if you’re not already perfectly and fully 1. ………. . But I think the internet can be actually a great place to not know. And I think we can treat that with excitement, because to me, there’s something important about sharing your 2. …………… and your insecurities and your 3. …………….. with other people.

Now, when someone shares that they feel sad or afraid or alone, for example, it actually makes me feel less alone, not by 4. ………….. of any of my loneliness, but by showing me that I am not alone in feeling lonely. And as a writer and as an artist, I care very much about making this comfort of being 5. ……………. a communal thing, something that we can share with each other. I’m excited about externalising the internal, about taking on the outside world, taking those invisible personal feelings that I don’t have words for, holding them to the light, putting words to them, and then sharing them with other people in the hopes that it might help them find words to find their feelings as well.

Now, I know that sounds like a big thing, but 6. …………….., I’m interested in putting all these things into small, 7. ……………. packages, because when we can hide them into these smaller pieces, I think they’re easier to approach, I think they’re more fun, I think they can more easily help us see our shared 8. ……………… . Sometimes that takes the form of a short story, sometimes that takes the form of a 9. ………… book of illustrations, for example, and sometimes that takes the form of a silly joke that I’ll throw on the internet. For example, a few months ago, I posted this app idea for a dog-walking service, where a dog shows up at your door and you have to get out of the house and go for a walk.

If there are app developers in the audience, please sign me after the talk. Or I like to share every time I feel 10. ……….. about sending an email. When I sign my email’s best, it’s short for, I am trying my best, which is short for, please don’t hate me, I promise, I’m trying my best.

Or my answer to the classic icebreaker, if I could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, I would. I am very lonely. (…)

 

Key: 1. formed; 2. imperfections; 3. vulnerabilities; 4. getting rid; 5. vulnerable; 6. ultimately; 7. approachable; 8. humanness; 9. cute; 10. anxious

 

Discuss

 

  • Why do you think workplace loneliness has increased even though more employees are physically back in the office?
  • What role does company culture play in helping employees feel connected? Can you think of some examples of positive or negative cultures you’ve seen or heard about?
  • Do you believe having friends at work is essential for job satisfaction and retention? Why or why not?
  • The survey showed Gen-Z employees especially want closer connections with coworkers. Why might younger generations place more importance on this compared to older ones?
  • Should managers be responsible for helping employees build social connections at work, or should that be left to employees themselves?
  • Do you think remote or hybrid work models increase or reduce loneliness compared to full-time office work? Why?
  • Have you ever experienced workplace loneliness yourself? What strategies helped (or could have helped) you feel more connected?

Watch and Revise!

 

Loneliness at Work

A Hidden Productivity Killer

 

https://www.cloud.worldwideschool.pl/index.php/s/T89Gib4nXdd5NY5

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