4 min read . Updated: 21 Mar 2021, 01:46 PM IST It is well known that the move to remote work has been hard on workers with families. Many employers have tried to address the problem with policies that ease caregivers’ burdens. Yet remote work imposes unique hardships for people who live alone, and employers have been far slower to recognize and address them.
Last year, we interviewed 35 men and women from a number of different countries who live alone, and asked them about their transition to working from home full time amid the pandemic.
Before the lockdown, workers who live alone often felt their requests for flexible time weren’t seen as legitimate, compared with those from married co-workers, and some said they were expected to work more than their peers. During the pandemic, the problem has grown worse, workers who live alone told us. Employers have often been supportive of workers with children, allowing them benefits like taking special leave one or two days a week. But some of our respondents said that they have to often work around the schedules of colleagues with child-care responsibilities—and that they were expected to be the flexible ones, because they lived on their own.
“It’s just expected that you’ve got to be available most of the time," one respondent said.
In addition, some of the workers interviewed thought they ended up taking the brunt of organizational decisions—such as pay cuts that exempted employees whose partner had lost their job. Even internal communications assumed cohabitation, respondents told us: “Share pictures of who you are sharing lockdown with," for instance. As one study participant summed it up, “All of our initial work communications were around carers and families."
Participants reported less socializing at work and, because they lived alone, this meant they had less social support. While many individuals did mention virtual contact with friends, if these friends had caring responsibilities they were less available. Those with a working day full of virtual meetings reported “Zoom fatigue"—meaning they couldn’t face using technology again in the evenings to see friends, again increasing their social isolation
These feelings of isolation came as workers who live solo had fewer chances to ease their stress. While working parents have faced many demands during the pandemic, their parent or partner roles provide a natural shift away from work mode. For many employees living alone, roles outside the home, including dating, are prevented by lockdown. They therefore found it harder to switch off. As one participant summarized: “As much as I’m pleased that I don’t have children to have to sort out, I also don’t have that as a role to pull me out of work mode."
The good news for companies and their employees who live solo is that none of this is inevitable. There are things employers can do to support solo-living staff who work from home—both during the pandemic and after.
• Avoid the assumption that solo-living workers have more capacity. Ensure workloads are distributed fairly in teams, and/or that extra work is appropriately rewarded—such as giving extra vacation days or bonuses. Set boundaries about how much work solo-living staff are expected to put in to cover for working parents. And special leave should be offered for all, not just those with children.
• Check on the well-being of solo-living employees. For example, arrange calls to catch up with them, create groups on messaging apps for them or assign mentors who can support them.
• Encourage opportunities for social interaction among colleagues, such as scheduling virtual team lunches and end-of-week gatherings. Promote plans for face-to-face interaction, such as walks for employees who live in the same area.
• Recognize that solo-living employees might be financially vulnerable, given that they don’t share finances with partners. Consider financial “pulse checks" with all staff, and ensure staff living alone don’t get unfairly targeted for pay cuts.
• Encourage honest discussions about workloads and preferred working patterns. Managers should become more approachable and lead by example to create a culture of open communication. Likewise, discuss and encourage flexible working and creative ways of working with employees who live solo, and assess performance based on outputs rather than working hours.
• Make sure company internal communications acknowledge the well-being needs of all employees—not just of working parents. Avoid wording that excludes solo-living employees, such as messages focusing on significant others or children. Likewise, promote a range of well-being initiatives for employees across the board, including exercise, healthy eating and socializing.
Dr. Wilkinson is a senior lecturer of human-resource management at the Centre for Decent Work and Productivity at Manchester Metropolitan University, Dr. Collins is a reader in leadership and management at the center, and Dr. Antoniadou is a reader in management and organizational psychology at the center.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
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