Solo working biggest driver of rising hours spent alone, research suggests

With research showing working from home accounted for roughly two-thirds of the rise in work completed alone, Kelly Nicoll – immediate past president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) – insists more needs to be done by managers.

She said: “Our own research has found that home and hybrid working are damaging the career development, workplace relationships and mental wellbeing of younger workers.

“Around half (48 per cent) of 18 to 24-year-olds we surveyed say home and hybrid working makes it harder to build relationships with colleagues and managers. More than two-fifths (43 per cent) fear fewer face-to-face interactions are restricting their personal and professional development. A third feel demotivated.

“Managers need to build in more structured supervision time and regular check-ins with young workers and hybrid workers than only having contact once a month.

“They need to make room for daily informal catchups and also set weekly and monthly one-to-one sessions to cover performance and address wider issues such as health, safety and wellbeing, as well as mentoring, coaching and career development.

“Mental health risk management should be fully integrated into occupational safety systems and management practices need to be updated to reflect the evolving demands of a multigenerational, hybrid workforce.”