A crowded office offers no guarantee against isolation, according to a comprehensive new review that identifies job design and leadership failures as primary drivers of the modern loneliness epidemic.
A team including researchers from Portland State University analysed 233 empirical studies to distinguish the biological roots of workplace loneliness from simple social isolation. The findings, published in the Journal of Management, suggest that loneliness functions as a biological signal — much like physical pain — that can degrade into a chronic condition damaging both employee health and organisational performance.
“Given the connection between workplace characteristics and loneliness, organisations should consider that loneliness is not a personal issue, and instead is a business issue,” said Berrin Erdogan, professor of management at Portland State. “Businesses have an opportunity to design jobs and organisations in a way that will prioritise employee relational well-being.”
The biological signal
The review synthesises decades of research to frame loneliness through an evolutionary lens. Just as physical pain alerts us to injury, the researchers found that temporary loneliness serves as a biological signal that prompts individuals to seek social connection.
However, this survival mechanism can backfire in the workplace. The study reveals that, unlike objective social isolation — simply being alone — loneliness is a subjective state of “relational deficiency”. When this state becomes chronic, it triggers hypervigilance toward social threats, leading employees to misinterpret neutral interactions as hostile and to withdraw further from their colleagues.
The analysis uncovered a complex “employment paradox” regarding social health. While employment generally protects against loneliness compared to unemployment or retirement, the quality of the role determines the outcome.
High-stress environments, role-based demands and low autonomy were identified as significant risk factors that can make even socially active roles feel isolating. The researchers found that “emotional exhaustion” — often stemming from the strain of managing workplace relationships — severely impacts well-being.
Leadership contagion
The review warns that loneliness can spread through organisational hierarchies. Lonely managers were found to be less effective leaders, often exhibiting lower quality exchanges with their subordinates. This creates a ripple effect where leadership withdrawal fosters a climate of isolation that permeates the wider team.
To combat this, the researchers identified evidence-based interventions focusing on cognitive reframing rather than forced socialising. Successful strategies included cognitive-behavioural therapy to address social hypervigilance, mindfulness training, and job redesigns that increased autonomy and feedback.
