How coworking space helps combat loneliness
Research earlier this year revealed that employee loneliness was approaching the highest levels since peaking during COVID lockdowns, rising by 11% since January 2022.
Those surveyed reported that their social lives had decreased dramatically since 2020, by as much as 39%, with the cost-of-living crisis impacting disposable income to spend on going out.
Being able to enjoy camaraderie at work therefore, and having a social life with colleagues is more important than ever, with 49% of respondents reporting that such opportunities have benefited their mental health.
Coworking space has gained much popularity in recent years, particularly for its collaboration opportunities, because it allows individuals to work and interact in a shared workplace. This setting has several advantages, including improved networking opportunities and higher productivity.
Loneliness Awareness Week is an annual campaign which raises awareness of loneliness and gets people talking about it. The campaign is hosted by the Marmalade Trust and its aim is simply to reduce the stigma around loneliness and encourage people to talk more openly about it.
If we’re being completely honest, we probably don’t really speak about feeling lonely, and yet we’ve all felt or feel lonely occasionally. There are several forms and levels of loneliness. It might be an ephemeral sensation that appears for a period of time before disappearing again or it can be completely overwhelming
Most of us would agree that the past three years have not been the most sociable of times for any of us. With social distancing, masks, restrictions, and home working, we’ve all had to put up physical barriers between ourselves and the world. For those with families and support ‘bubbles’, it’s often been challenging but doable. For others, however, the loneliness of the pandemic has been extremely difficult, with knock-on health and wellbeing consequences.
At Headspace, we encourage physical catch-ups, meetings, and networking among teams. The social component of collaborating with our co-workers has been one of the things we’ve missed the most as a result of the pandemic. Bringing people together in our office spaces, allows our clients to create from scratch, new friendships and relationships that can help to mitigate the loneliness, distance and isolation many have felt over the past few years. This is one of the reasons why our clients enjoy working in our coworking space, including our top-quality coworking space in Birmingham.
If you’re based in the West Midlands and considering coworking, then our Birmingham building could be the answer to your prayers. Our members benefit from social activities that will help combat isolation including an onsite gym, an indoor golf simulator, multiple break-out areas, a large roof garden terrace and a plethora of community events.
Posted by Leandra Avelino
To learn more about Loneliness Awareness Week, visit: https://www.lonelinessawarenessweek.org/
