AIA Australia has teamed up with national authority Ending Loneliness Together to bring awareness to workplace loneliness for Australia’s first Loneliness Awareness Week.
Ending Loneliness Together is a national network of organisations and individuals seeking to address the growing problem of loneliness in Australia.
After surveying over 4,000 adults between June and July 2023, Ending Loneliness Together found that younger people (18 to 24 years old) and middle-aged individuals (45 to 54 years old) are the loneliest in Australia. Despite one in three individuals feeling lonely, people do not talk about it in the workplace or communities – resulting in the inception and launch of Loneliness Awareness Week, which includes a State of the Nation Report into Social Connection.
Partners since 2021, AIA and Ending Loneliness Together are teaming up to raise awareness, reduce stigma, educate the community, and develop the tools to reduce the impacts of loneliness on people’s health and wellbeing, communities, and workplaces.
The latest partnership will see the launch of a corporate awareness program in early 2024 to provide workplaces with the right tools to address loneliness.
“Loneliness is a biological need, just like thirst or hunger. We feel lonely at times. We need to change the dialogue and support Australians to reach out and connect,” said AIA Australia CEO Damien Mu. “Our partnership with Ending Loneliness Together, as evidence by the report findings, plays an important role in raising awareness and educating workplaces and communities about loneliness and its impacts on population health, wellbeing, and productivity.”
Ending Loneliness Together chair Dr. Michelle Lim calls on workplaces to become better at identifying loneliness issues and fostering social connection.
“Loneliness in the workplace, if left unaddressed, may lead to increased absenteeism, presenteeism, and poorer health, which will impact businesses,” Dr. Lim said. “It’s clear that many people understand the consequences of loneliness, but do not know how to talk about it, how to ask for the connections they need, and where to get help.”
