Loneliness is not only social isolation.
"Loneliness is not only social isolation. You might be in a room full of people… and still feel like you don’t quite fit,” said Professor Pamela Qualter. “It’s not always the quantity but the quality of your relationships.”
That line stopped me. In coworking spaces we measure connection like engagement, by numbers: events attended, Slack messages reacted to with an emoji, participation. It is so hard to quantify connection and community and to prove its ROI. Part of me does not want to in the slightest, but we also need to show that this “fluffy stuff” is not only good for people but a sound business decision.
I loved the Business vs. Loneliness Symposium hosted by Economics of Mutuality Alliance, The Beautiful Truth, The University of Manchester and Kindred London for exactly this reason. Senior leaders explored the £2.5bn cost of loneliness to UK employers. As part of the event, we moved through 3 immersive rooms: Loneliness, Connection, Solitude. Solitude was the surprise highlight; permission to do nothing felt so restorative (not surprising after hosting a conference)! Food for the soul stuff.
The whole event experience was so well crafted and thought out, huge thanks to the organisers and speakers and to Julia Hawkins for sharing her stunning portraits and stories of loneliness. Ordering your book now!
Connection....community...you know it. If you have an ounce of emotional intelligence, you can literally feel when a space is built for belonging. Hosting the event at Kindred and hearing how Anna Anderson has built her business with all of this in mind was inspiring, I'd long heard her story through Sallee Poinsette-Nash but it was a delight to hear her speak with such passion.
The challenge for coworking operators and community builders is clear: when you put purpose with commercial gain, things begin to move. Design for belonging and you get more than goodwill. You get value that is good for business, good for people and good for the planet. Purposeful business.
How are you measuring connection? I’d love to hear.
