{"id":318610,"date":"2021-08-08T16:13:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-08T13:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/feeling-isolated-at-work-is-a-growing-health-concern\/"},"modified":"2021-08-08T16:13:59","modified_gmt":"2021-08-08T13:13:59","slug":"feeling-isolated-at-work-is-a-growing-health-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/feeling-isolated-at-work-is-a-growing-health-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"#Feeling isolated at work is a growing health concern"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Feeling isolated at work is a growing health concern<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Some equate loneliness with being a loser, unenthusiastic, hard to get along with, not personable, yet none of those labels fit actor, social media<\/a> evangelist and COVID-19 investigator Samantina Zenon<\/a>. Consider that during the pandemic she not only worked a full-time job, she also wrote a book, started a TikTok channel with almost 11,000 followers and modeled shapewear online.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that, and still I\u2019m very lonely,\u201d said the 31-year-old Queens resident.<\/p>\n

Even though she and her fellow COVID-19 investigators communicate through group chat, \u201cWhen I\u2019m facing real work challenges, there\u2019s not a co-worker I can confide in, mainly because we never met in real life. Real friendship has never been established.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zenon also misses the kind of casual interactions she used to have when she worked on-site at her previous job, like venting during lunch or talking about \u201cboy trouble\u201d on the way to the train. She now fears that her lack of physical interaction with others and time outside of her apartment might be beginning to affect her health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gained 50 pounds, and sometimes the reflections on the wall of my apartment make me imagine things that aren\u2019t there,\u201d she said. \u201cMy mind has too much time to wander.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot to admit, but Zenon isn\u2019t embarrassed or ashamed, nor should she be, according to the experts we spoke to. <\/p>\n

\"Samantina
Despite working a full-time job, publishing a book and launching a popular TikTok channel, Samantina Zenon claims she\u2019s \u201cgained 50 pounds\u201d during the pandemic.
\n<\/figcaption>
Stephen Yang<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe COVID-19 crisis exacerbated loneliness,\u201d said workplace expert and author Jennifer Moss<\/a>. \u201cLoneliness is as impactful on our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It\u2019s worse than diabetes.\u201d <\/p>\n

Moss also explained that more Zoom isn\u2019t the solution. \u201cThe only time we\u2019re looking at each other as closely as we are on a screen is when we are mating or scared,\u201d she said. In other words, for some, video meetings and conversations create added stress. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk, Zoom, tweet and text but we\u2019re not feeling a sense of connection,\u201d said Susan McPherson, a communications expert and author of \u201cThe Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships\u201d<\/a> (McGraw-Hill). <\/p>\n

There are those who don\u2019t feel a connection even if they\u2019re sharing physical space with their co-workers. It could be that their workmates have formed a clique, are in different life stages or are perceived as a threat. While feeling alone can be both uncomfortable and alienating, there may be something you can do about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider that everyone is a bit out of sorts and that their behavior is not necessarily about you,\u201d said Jenn Lim, CEO and co-founder of Delivering Happ<\/a>iness, a company that aims to inspire science<\/a>-based happiness, and author of \u201cBeyond Happiness: How Authentic Leaders Prioritize Purpose and People for Growth and Impact\u201d<\/a> (Grand Central Publishing, October 2021). <\/p>\n

Lim recalled a woman who seemed inattentive and isolated during a business meeting. A co-worker pulled her aside afterward and asked, \u201cAre you OK?\u201d It turns out that the woman had received a 3 a.m. phone call the night before about the death of a family member.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to ask each other if we are alright,\u201d said Lim. \u201cFind the courage to reach out and offer help or ask for help. You\u2019re not alone and everyone has a need to feel human.\u201d<\/p>\n

David, a data analyst who has asked us not to use his last name, has been to the offices of the New Jersey pharmaceutical company campus where he works just a few times since he was hired last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to see my office for the first time and I was hoping to meet some people my age and at my level. But besides my boss\u2019s boss and a bunch of executives, I was the only one there. I\u2019ve practically been in solitary confinement since I moved here. Even now that I can go out, I don\u2019t know anyone to go with,\u201d he said, adding that he\u2019s thinking of looking for a part-time job in retail to make contact with real people.<\/p>\n

Young professionals, particularly, are accustomed to being in a community setting like a dorm or campus environment with people coming and going, according to Jill Tipograph, co-founder of Early Stage Careers<\/a>. \u201cNow, perhaps they are in their apartment all alone, possibly in a new city, living in temporary housing that does not yet feel or look like home,\u201d she said. \u201cUnless you are a happy nomad, this is disruptive and transitional changes can be challenging and uncomfortable to begin with.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n
\"The
Early Stage Careers co-founder Jill Tipograph argues newly hired college graduates face \u201cdisruptive and transitional changes\u201d in city environments.
\n<\/figcaption>
Annie Wermiel<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Life coach Anita Kanti suggested that workers ask for assistance from their employers. \u201cThis is one time we all need to embrace being vulnerable. We need to be brave when it comes to taking care of our mental health,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

One way to get back in the groove is to join a professional organization. \u201cJoining a professional network for people who are early careerists, or newcomers to the city where you live or who do philanthropic work can give you something to look forward to during the workday,\u201d Tipograph said. \u201cThis also might lead to feeling like you are making a meaningful contribution to a bigger agenda.\u201d <\/p>\n

You can also connect to colleagues you have yet to meet within the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cReach out to them in the means that it is most comfortable and appropriate professionally [e-mail, text, Slack, chat in Zoom] and let them know you would like to meet with them for 10 to 15 minutes to learn how you can best be helpful to them and learn more about their role,\u201d said McPherson. \u201cLeading with, \u2018How can I help?\u2019 is far better than asking if you can \u2018pick their brain.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And if you are sick of working from home alone, sign up for a co-working venue. These range from Industrious<\/a>, Luminary<\/a>, WeWork<\/a>, the Wing<\/a> and many more.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften, companies will cover the monthly expense, especially if you do not live close to the headquarters,\u201d said Moss. \u201cMany of these ventures feature events, mixers, gatherings and you, no doubt, will meet new people.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“#Feeling isolated at work is a growing health concern” Some equate loneliness with being a loser, unenthusiastic, hard to get along with, not personable, yet none of those labels fit actor, social media evangelist and COVID-19 investigator Samantina Zenon. Consider that during the pandemic she not only worked a full-time job, she also wrote a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":318611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/Samantina-Zenon.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[113714,71736,71737,70344,75786,72869,70844],"class_list":["post-318610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-8-8-21","tag-at-work","tag-career-advice","tag-coronavirus-in-ny","tag-office-space","tag-wework","tag-zoom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}