40% of UK office workers report feeling lonely at work
Key Points
- 40% of UK office workers report feeling lonely at work
- 43% of UK workers want closer connections with colleagues
- 47% say meetings are their only contact with some coworkers
- 17% often go a full workday without speaking to a colleague
- 55% deliberately keep personal distance to protect work-life boundaries
Two in five UK office workers feel lonely at work, according to new research from learning and engagement platform Kahoot.
The findings show 40% of UK respondents report feeling lonely on the job, while 43% wish they had closer connections with their coworkers.
The survey, the 2026 Kahoot Workplace Culture and Connection Report, covered 2,000 UK office workers aged 25 and older alongside 2,000 in the United States, where 39% reported loneliness and 56% wanted closer connections.
Meetings as the main point of contact
For many UK employees, scheduled meetings have become the primary form of interaction with colleagues. Almost half of UK workers, 47%, say meetings are their only interaction with certain coworkers.
A further 17% say they often go an entire workday without speaking to a colleague at all.
UK workers also signalled that they see value in connection when it happens. More than half, 57%, say meetings are more effective when colleagues take time to connect before turning to business.
The report frames this against a backdrop of workplaces with more communication channels than ever, where spontaneous hallway conversations and informal lunches have increasingly given way to scheduled interactions.
Connection and distance held in tension
The research points to two competing impulses among the same workforce.
While 43% of UK respondents want closer connections with colleagues, 55% say they intentionally keep personal distance from coworkers to maintain work-life boundaries.
Sean D’Arcy, Chief Solutions Officer at Kahoot, said many workplaces had removed everyday human contact in the pursuit of efficiency.
“Workplaces have spent years optimizing for productivity, flexibility, and efficiency, but many have unintentionally engineered out the everyday human connection people need to feel engaged and supported,” D’Arcy said.
He added that the pattern was appearing inside busy offices rather than among employees working alone.
D’Arcy said the findings left leaders with a balancing act. He said organisations needed to create workplaces where employees felt connected and supported without forcing an artificial culture or unwanted social expectations, and that those getting it right would gain an advantage in retention, wellbeing and long-term performance.
Appetite for office socialising remains
Despite the boundaries workers reported, the survey found continued willingness to take part in company social events.
Almost two-thirds of UK respondents, 63%, say they would attend their company’s main office celebration or holiday party, and 38% say they genuinely look forward to it.
The survey was commissioned by Kahoot and conducted online by OnePoll in May and June 2026, covering 2,000 UK office workers and 2,000 US office workers, all aged 25 and older.
