Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted loneliness into the global spotlight, leading the U.S. Surgeon General to declare it an epidemic. Around the world, individuals and societies are reporting unprecedented levels of social disconnection. However, amid the headlines about isolation, one crucial truth has been overlooked: solitude is not inherently negative.
In fact, time alone can be a powerful catalyst for creativity, personal growth, and wellbeing when it is embraced with intention.
Too often, being alone is associated with negative experiences — lockdowns, solitary confinement, or enforced separation. Voluntary solitude, however, offers something entirely different: a chance to reflect, recharge, and refocus in today’s hyper-connected world.
The key difference is that intentional solitude, unlike loneliness, can transform the way we think and feel.
Psychologists and researchers increasingly recognize that deliberately carving out time to be alone can reduce stress and foster emotional resilience, personal growth, and professional development. What is often perceived as a negative state can, with intention, become a restorative (even revolutionary) practice.
In the workplace, reframing solitude as a conscious choice rather than a sign of withdrawal opens the door to healthier, more creative, and more sustainable ways of working — where focused, restorative alone time is celebrated as a source of strength, not something to be feared.
From Loneliness to Solitude: Rethinking Alone Time
The consequences of workplace loneliness are significant. Employees who feel isolated are more likely to disengage, underperform, and take more sick leave, which costs U.S. businesses an estimated $154 billion annually. Loneliness also raises health risks, including a higher likelihood of premature death by up to 26%.
Workplace loneliness is shaped by structural and cultural dynamics, from team organization to the influence of roles and hierarchies on daily interactions. Unlike personal friendships, workplace relationships are generally more functional than deeply meaningful.
The combination of these factors makes workplace loneliness a unique challenge that must be understood and addressed within its specific context.
The distinction between loneliness and being alone is important to make here.
Adults in the U.S. spend around 30–65% of their waking hours alone, and approximately 85% of that is by choice. While too much solitude can sometimes lead to loneliness, it can also help manage emotions, restore mental energy, and support deep thinking.
Conversely, having less alone time than desired can increase stress and depression.
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Research underscores that our mindset toward being alone can deeply affect how we experience loneliness and isolation. A University of Michigan study, drawing on 144 U.S. news articles and data from nine countries, revealed that individuals who perceive solitude as harmful tend to feel lonelier when alone, while those who view solitude positively experience higher levels of happiness.
These two differing results underscore that loneliness is shaped not just by social connections, but also by mindset.
Strategies aimed at preventing loneliness at work and in life should therefore not only encourage social connection but also help individuals cultivate a healthier relationship with being alone.
Solitude at Work: Benefits, Strategies, and Cultural Shifts
Loneliness is the painful perception that your social connections fall short of what you desire. It is an emotional state that can arise even in crowded offices (especially where interactions lack any depth).
Solitude, by contrast, is simply the condition of being alone. Solitude can be joyful and restorative when it is intentionally chosen. Far from signaling disconnection, solitude creates space for reflection, creativity, and emotional recovery.
Loneliness is isolation imposed, while solitude is rest chosen.
For decades, discussions on solitude have been eclipsed by the focus on loneliness; however, recent works, from Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days to Michael Harris’ Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone, reframe solitude as a source of fulfillment and adaptability.
The implications for work are clear: in an era of hyper-connectivity, solitude is emerging as a vital counterbalance.
A University of Reading study revealed that solitude is most beneficial when time spent alone is intentional. Claudia Hammond’s book The Art of Rest, based on the largest global survey on the subject of rest, reinforces these findings, noting that the most restorative activities (such as reading, daydreaming, being in nature, or listening to music) are typically performed alone.
These activities improve concentration, lower blood pressure, and even increase productivity after breaks as short as two minutes, proving that rest and solitude are not luxuries; they are essential.
A 2024 study — From “isolation” to “me-time” — also found that language matters and that describing alone time positively (for instance, calling it “me-time” and “focused work”) boosted wellbeing, while negative framing reinforced stigma.
Loneliness and solitude at work lead to distinctly different outcomes. Loneliness reduces productivity, increases stress, and drives burnout.
Many employees (especially younger professionals) report feeling disconnected in remote roles where it is harder to build friendships or find mentors.
By contrast, intentional solitude at work can be deeply beneficial because scheduled “deep work” time, flexible hours, or quiet spaces can all support focus, complex problem-solving, and creative breakthroughs.
Solitude supports autonomy, and when employees have the freedom to decide when and how to spend time alone, they experience greater satisfaction and motivation. Ultimately, balancing meaningful interaction with restorative alone time ensures that solitude is a positive experience rather than a source of disconnection.
Allwork.Space spoke with Dr. Kiki Ramsey, a Positive Psychologist, Executive Coach, and Founder & CEO of The Positive Psychology Coaching and Diversity Institute (PPCaDI), about how a digital-first, always-connected work environment affects performance, and her perspective on the role of voluntary solitude as a solution.
Dr. Ramsey cautioned that excessive hyper-connectivity can be counterproductive and that a constant “always-on” culture may leave employees feeling distracted and depleted.
Dr. Ramsey explained that solitude gives our minds the rare opportunity to pause and recharge in an always-on world.
“Embracing solitude helps us manage success and wellbeing by providing thought clarity, alignment with purpose, emotional balance, and overall output,” she said.
She emphasizes that organizations should model solitude as a positive practice rather than disengagement. Implementing quiet zones, offering flexible schedules, and having leadership openly value downtime all help normalize solitude as a driver of both employee wellbeing and organizational effectiveness.
Dr. Ramsey emphasizes that intentional solitude sharpens focus, enhances emotional regulation, and strengthens strategic decision-making — qualities that can become a decisive competitive advantage in today’s workplace.
Replacing Superficial Social Connection with Intentional Solitude
Solitude complements meaningful social connection. In modern workplaces, the challenge is therefore to provide opportunities to form genuine, meaningful connections while also creating space and time for solitude.
Well-structured social activities and events (such as small peer circles and regular check-ins) can ensure that individual social energy is spent where it is most needed. In hybrid and fully remote settings, finding the right balance between opportunities for deep independent work and meaningful interaction is even more vital, given that these employees spend less time in the office (or none at all), where spontaneous social connections with colleagues can occur.
Younger generations are increasingly embracing voluntary alone time, prioritizing it over superficial social interaction. Far from being anti-social, intentional solitude in the workplace supports reflection, emotional regulation, and innovation, ultimately boosting organizational productivity and performance. Research shows that it can also improve decision-making and even strengthen leadership capabilities.
How Organizations Can Design Work Cultures That Value Both Solitude and Collaboration
There are practical, easy-to-implement strategies that help organizations and individuals to strike a balance between adequate social interaction and solitude.
The British Psychological Society advocates for a positive perspective on solitude and recommends incorporating micro-breaks, mindfulness exercises, time outdoors, and other solitary activities into daily routines. Digital detox practices can further enhance the restorative benefits of solitude for working people.
Organizations that normalize solitude cultivate healthier and more resilient workplaces. Where solitude is encouraged, employees become more self-aware and better able to manage their need for both connection and quiet. For individuals accustomed to having been fully in-office pre-pandemic, this enhanced self-awareness can also help them manage the shift to less in-person contact.
Workplace design also plays a critical role, as discussed in a recent Allwork.Space podcast featuring Amber Wernick, Practice Development Leader at Perkins & Will, in which she explored how thoughtful office design can spark spontaneous collaboration while safeguarding quiet areas for deep focus.
The result is an environment where both connection and solitude can flourish. When organizations cultivate cultures and spaces that embrace solitude rather than fear it, they enable employees to perform at their best, realize their full potential, and drive meaningful, sustainable impact.
When we respect both connection and alone time, we create workplaces that nurture the whole person. By valuing solitude as much as we cherish collaboration, organizations can unlock deeper creativity, resilience, and purpose.
The future of work belongs to cultures that create space for both people and ideas to flourish through solitude.
