The Best Workplace Setting: Achieving Productivity and Avoiding Loneliness

By Jamie Ihms

People crave community. We want to belong to something more than just ourselves. There are many articles describing how millennials seem to have a strong need to be with people and to have a “tribe” or community where they can be authentic. We, as millennials, have begun to create a shift in the way business is done, both as customers and as business owners.

We don’t like to be “sold”, because it feels like a selfish trick to get as much from us as “they” can. “Corporate” has become an evil word. “Intro Fridays” is a popular post on Instagram, largely due to business owners and entrepreneurs realizing both that they want to be authentic and that their customers respond to the personality behind the brand. Now, we could go into the irony of “authentic” posts on Instagram, but for today, the point is that we all feel the pull to be with people (as opposed to a brand or company), even in the context of working and buying.

We all desire connection. Yet somehow, loneliness is a very common struggle. Loneliness, or social isolation, is not the same as being alone. Introverts who have great relationships with friends and who enjoy time with other people may be alone without experiencing loneliness. The experience perhaps misunderstood and less talked about in society is being in a sea of people without that thirst for connection being quenched. We long for community and yet feel isolated.

The Harvard Business Review believes that solving this problem of being isolated and lonely is the whole purpose behind coworking, where workers of unrelated businesses come together to use office space and resources in a shared space. When entrepreneurs, remote workers, and business owners are offered the freedom to work from home (or wherever they choose), they often take that opportunity with the hope that the flexibility will give them better quality of life. However, as the scenario often plays out, working at home or the coffee shop ends up creating a new problem that wasn’t present when these workers were in a traditional office building. A study of over 2,000 managers and employees showed that, of those who depend mainly on email for communication with their colleagues, over 40 percent said they felt lonely.

Aside from missing out on the collaboration that happens when working in proximity with people, those who work from home also miss out on the “water cooler” moments. Parents who work from home to be with their kids suddenly have their world turned upside down both in adjusting to parenthood and in a new way of working with regards to schedule, habits, attire, and processes. This can actually start to take a toll on a person’s health.

So, is there a middle ground? Somewhere between a 9-5 in a traditional office and working isolated at home. The coffee house can be a temporary solution, sure. And the relationships with people outside of work are valid. But how motivated will we be to excel at work and keep at it throughout our careers if we feel alone in it?

People have started to come together to work in a place where they get to make their own decisions about when and where and how they work as coworking spreads over the globe. Guess what. Even coworking is shifting. Coworking spaces with private offices are now more popular because the open-plan work model might not actually be the best fit for most people. Instead, people want the quiet, private space where they can focus and be productive, but have the option to spend time with people when they need it. Even the open-door policy, if my door is open, feel free to come chat, offers more social interaction than sitting in the living room on social media. There’s also a sense of community when others are working productively around us – we are all in this together, working together, even if it’s not in the same industry.

The solution may be to try a few things and see what works best for your personality, paying close attention not just to productivity, but also to all around health and quality of life. If you find a place where you can belong, while also providing the atmosphere and resources needed to get your job done, hold onto it! You just might become a happier, healthier, more efficient worker than you were before.