Feeling lonely at work too

One in five people in Spain suffers from unwanted loneliness, and of these, 67% say they have been feeling this way for more than two years, according to data from the recent 2024 Barometer of Unwanted Loneliness in Spain. This phenomenon is becoming chronic (when the situation lasts more than two years) in 13.5% of the Spanish population.

Work is one of the most important dimensions of a person's life because of the time it occupies, the personal relationships we establish, and the impact of the work environment on our daily lives. Therefore, the workplace is a key space when we talk about unwanted loneliness, both as a source of conditions that foster it and as a space for preventing it .

Unwanted loneliness is solvable, not irreversible, and organizations can be safe spaces in which to break these patterns. In this monograph, we aim to provide key insights into unwanted loneliness in the workplace, drawing on the practical guide "Unwanted Loneliness in the Workplace ," developed by Solorelatio and Storytelling&Co, members of La Red - Removiendo Organizaciones (The Network - Transforming Organizations), for Solidaridad San Juan de Dios.

Breaking out of the cycle of unwanted loneliness requires individual effort, community and social initiatives, but also a change in the way organizations look at the well-being of working people.