Loneliness at the workplace study 2024
Press / October 1, 2024 / with Christoph DrebesA recent study by Mystery Minds GmbH, conducted in collaboration with the international data and analytics group YouGov, offers for the first time detailed insights into the topic of loneliness at the workplace in Germany. According to the survey, 11% of employees in Germany feel lonely at work. This means that, on average, 110 employees in a company with 1,000 staff members are affected by loneliness. Among younger employees aged 34 and under, 40% say they would like to have more social contact. Surprisingly, managers report feeling lonely more often than average – 15% of them feel lonely at work. Interestingly, the highest satisfaction rates were reported by employees who work entirely from home.
"Social interaction is a key factor when it comes to job satisfaction and employee loyalty. With our latest study, conducted in cooperation with YouGov, we’ve explored how evolving work models impact employees’ sense of social connectedness at work. One striking result: those who work fully remotely are more likely to feel lonely – yet this group also reports the highest levels of job satisfaction," says Christoph Drebes, CEO of Mystery Minds GmbH.
In fact, 72% of fully remote employees say they are satisfied with their work. Among hybrid workers, this number is 62%, and among those who go into the office every day, 60%.
Key findings from the representative survey conducted by YouGov in June 2024, involving 502 employees in Germany between the ages of 18 and 65:
- 11% of employees reported feeling lonely or very lonely at work. This number rises to 15% among managers, compared to 10% among employees without leadership responsibilities.
- Remote employees are particularly affected: 14% of this group report feeling lonely, even though they also report above-average job satisfaction (72% vs. 60% among all office-based employees).
- Older workers seem least affected by loneliness. Only 8% of respondents aged 55 and older described themselves as lonely or very lonely – and this group also showed the highest levels of job satisfaction.
- Younger employees have a greater need to expand their social networks: 40% of 18- to 34-year-olds and 36% of 35- to 44-year-olds want more social interaction at work.
- Gender and company size had little influence on feelings of loneliness, although both factors shaped how important employees considered social contact at work.
- Female employees are more likely than male employees to value workplace connections. 74% of women rated social contact as very or somewhat important, compared to 64% of men.
About the study:
In June 2024, Mystery Minds and the international data and analytics group YouGov conducted a representative survey among 502 so-called “knowledge workers” in Germany to investigate the phenomenon of workplace loneliness. The study explored the effects of remote and hybrid work, generational differences, and hierarchical levels within organizations, as well as company size. It also collected concrete suggestions from employees on how to reduce workplace loneliness.
Until now, there has been no in-depth research on the topic of workplace loneliness in Germany. This joint study by Mystery Minds and YouGov aims to close that gap by highlighting the extent of loneliness among working professionals and uncovering their views on social relationships and other contributing factors.
The full results and practical recommendations are available for free download here.
About YouGov
YouGov is an international data and analytics group. Its data is drawn from a highly engaged global panel of over 27 million people. Based on this continuous data stream – combined with extensive research expertise and industry knowledge – YouGov has built a systematic research and marketing platform.
Find out more at https://yougov.de.
About the author:
Christoph Drebes
Christoph is an entrepreneur from Munich and co-founded Mystery Minds in 2016. Mystery Minds' mission is to make the world of work more human by creating meaningful, personal connections between colleagues. The remote-only team already works with over 250 international companies, helping them to strengthen internal networks and overcome silo mentalities.
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