I am Sorry but I am Not Sorry About the Loneliness Report
????♀? Szilvia Olah
Fractional Talent Management Senior Executive | Employee Experience Design | Organisational Psychologist | Two Published Books
So Gallup produced a report last week that can be looked at in so many ways but here is my take on it.
I am currently doing a series on the wellbeing and mental health at work agenda asking questions that I haven't heard anyone asking. Here it is:
Back to loneliness.
As you know, I like to observe people especially what they say and talk about on social media. If you are in HR, managerial or leadership role and if you don't pay attention to what people say on social media, you are missing out! It is better than engagement surveys trust me!
So after reading Gallup's report on loneliness, I said to myself "I am sorry, but I am not sorry for these people." Why? Because they actively "quit quitting" friends and families and are happy to brag about it. Read here.
In videos, they brag about how they just cut everyone out who is not in line with their thinking, doesn't give the right vibe, disagrees with them, or for the tiniest reason you can think of. They have glamorised the "I stay at home alone, in my bed, because this is what freedom means, and away from toxicity" through videos and comments, making themselves and others believe that being alone at home is cool.
The other day I replied to a girl's comment who said To which I replied that NOBODY is ok by themselves and it is a coping mechanism and she should be going out and making friends. To which, she replied, "I opened a tiktok account for lonely women but nobody came." Maybe that is not socialising or making friends? So I was like ok then suffer if you cannot make the effort of putting down your stupid phone and join a sports club or something where you can make friends. I left the conversation because you cannot help victims and those who don't want to change their circumstances.
Once again, I blame the parents for raising kids on technology and now they haven't developed any social skills which led to a rising number of people feeling lonely and it will increase as these guys now cannot build any form of relationships especially intimate ones because apparently it is now cringe, depressing, controlling, and it means no freedom.
Well, how is loneliness working out for you all?
I am not sorry for them because they make no effort whatsoever. And even if someone is interested in them they come up with their "Icks" and "red flags" as to why you should leave someone immediately. By glamorising the wrong things you will be lonely, that's given. So go and enjoy your freedom, icks, red flags, and social media which apparently adds up to a stressfree life but the lonely one:-))) Relationships are full of compromises. This is the price you pay for your happiness, sanity, and support. If you don't want to pay that bill, you will be paying the bill for loneliness. It's up to you.
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And as for employers, please don't drag everyone else back to the office just because Gemma lacks the social skills to make friends and feels lonely. I know where you are going with this Gallup . Title of the report: State of the Global Workplace THE VOICE OF THE WORLD’S EMPLOYEES 2024
Also, employees feeling lonely is not the responsibility of the employers so let's just leave this topic out of organisations. HR has enough to deal with.
Do you want to think about corporate practices differently and be different from the rest of HR? Here are 365 ways of doing so:
Educationist|Researcher|Data Analyst|M&E volunteer@eduincrisis. Working to promote Inclusive, Equitable and Quality Education for all.
4 个月It's partly the responsibility of the hiring officers to regularly provide opportunities for socialisation within the workforce place as policies may require. It is evident that the nature of roles come with Job descriptions clearly pointing out what one does in their role. The loneliness in workplace is real as the 'mind your business' attitude is prevalent. Institutions vary in social orientation of employees but HR usually caters for social emotional support unless not given top view
English and Literature Educator|ESL Tutor| Certified TEFL|Passionate about Children Mental Health and Well-being!
4 个月Wooow, this article is one of the best I have read on this platform today. I strongly agree, people most especially the youth pride themselves in being alone with their phones. All they know is I have a phone, I can scroll through and laugh at different memes and stories online. My generation has no experience with building relationships/connecting with others. In the end we go through different series of depression because we have no one to trust and share with what we are feeling. Social media is not the real happiness, it’s just a scam depriving us of the real joys of family and friends. Infact children below 16 shouldn’t be allowed to own phones, they need to learn to work with people(mostly in the school setting) These habits are what we carry on to work, thinking instead of connecting with others, I can ask google and AI. Infact with AI people are likely to feel more lonely. I have interacted with several people who say: Show up, do your job, earn and leave, no one is your friend at work. It’s okay but them not being your friend stops no one from interacting and laughing a little to kill loneliness. HR‘s really can’t be dealing with official matters and also deal with killing loneliness that adults impose on themselves.
Collaborative Workplace Wellbeing Solutions | Wellness Campaigns | Consultancy | Podcast Host | Stress-Relief Coaching for Leaders
4 个月We see social connection lacking in alot of the employee wellness assessments we do, i 100% beleive in personal responsibility but I think organisations should reflect on how they could be exacerbating this. Many feel isolated because they don’t have the time to spend with their families, let alone time to make new friends. When workload is beyond acceptable and their right to disconnect is disrespected, it contributes in a way that’s uneccesary.