Fewer than half of U.S. employees experiencing loneliness say they’re able to perform to the best of their abilities (48 per cent) and work efficiently (47 per cent), according to a new survey by Cigna Corp.
The survey, which polled 2,500 employers, found 42 per cent of lonely employees said they were “mentally somewhere else” while at work in the past three months, compared to just 18 per cent of non-lonely workers. Roughly two-thirds (64 per cent) of non-lonely employees said they’re able to perform their work efficiently.
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Lonely employees are more than three-times as likely (21 per cent) to be dissatisfied with their job compared to just seven per cent of non-lonely employees.
Roughly 30 per cent of lonely employees said they’ve felt unwell or sick while at work in the past three months, compared to just 14 per cent of non-lonely employees. One in five (19 per cent) lonely employees reported that their mental or emotional health “extremely” interfered with work in the last month alone.
The survey also found 85 per cent of employees with mental-health issues and 77 per cent of employees in fair or poor physical health reported feelings of loneliness. The survey also noted loneliness is contributing to stress-related absenteeism, which costs employers roughly US$154 billion each year.
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