Ways to combat loneliness when working remotely

During the pandemic, we were forced to work from home. Many people hadn’t worked from home before, so it was a big adjustment. Many employers now see and enjoy the benefits of offering remote jobs. And there are plenty of benefits of working remotely, but what do you do when you feel lonely when working remotely? We got a few tips to feel less lonely.

Make a playlist

Working alone in your home can be lonely if you are not used to the quietness. You can turn on the radio, but what is better than listing to your favorite music? Besides that, you can also make a shared playlist with your favorite colleagues where everyone adds their favorite songs. Or you can listen to podcasts if those are not too distracting.

Make virtual coffee appointments with colleagues

In the office, you just get up and walk over to your colleague’s desk to have some small talk. Or ask them to take a walk with you to go over the latest office gossip. As you are not in the same building, you feel less comfortable randomly calling your colleague on a video call to have some small talk. You should schedule a few virtual coffee appointments to make it less uncomfortable and ensure the timing is right. If you plan this upfront during the week, you and your work BFF have enough time to get together virtually and have something to look forward to throughout the day.

Make lunch a fun experience

Separating your private time and working hours is more complicated when working from home. And lunchtime is usually no different. A quick, easy meal or snack you can eat behind your desk is probably not an exception, but it should not even be an option. You should set your table and eat a nice meal away from your computer. Turn the laptop off, so you don’t hear pop-up sounds, notifications, or calls.

Another option is to eat lunch at a restaurant. Many people don’t feel comfortable eating alone in a restaurant, but it is very normal and soothing. Besides that, when doing so, you’ll feel much less lonely than you would imagine.

Or you could set up lunch dates with friends and family. Discuss it upfront and decide that you will do lunch together. It doesn’t need to be in a fancy place. Your or their home will do just fine.

Work in a cafe

You can work in a cafe if you don’t mind a little background noise. This way, you will be surrounded by people but still have the focus on your work. Besides that, you can have short talks with others working in the cafe when you feel the need to talk.

Create a nice space to work

You may not have an office at home or even a separate room to work in. And that’s fine. The beauty of working at home is that you can work anywhere. Just make sure that where you’re working is clean and proper. This way, you will feel much better when working. Decorating your workspace can also help to combat loneliness. Think about adding some fresh flowers in the room or lighting a scented candle when working. These are small things but can have a significant effect.

Join a workgroup

And last but not least you can always join a work group. This is a small group of people that come together once in a while to work together. These are not colleagues but people who work from home and want a companion.

Ask to work in the office

If all else fails and you can’t get over the loneliness of working remotely, just ask to work at the office. If there isn’t a physical office and the whole company is remote, then looking for another job that isn’t remote would be your best option.