Pre-pandemic, heading into the office every day meant crossing paths with countless colleagues, for better or worse. Sometimes that led to awkward small talk in front of the microwave, but just as often – if not more so – it meant chats with your favourite co-worker, communal coffee dashes and the chance to discreetly vent in the stairwell to a close confidante when things were going off-piste.

Fast-forward a few years, though, and the world of work looks very different. Hybrid working has brought many of us increased flexibility and allowed some to take on job opportunities that they’d never have been able to consider otherwise, but heading to the office a handful of times a week now tends to mean booking desks, organising your trips to coincide with your team and fewer of those unexpected but often mood-boosting random encounters with your fellow workers. And as for spontaneous after-work drinks? They might not necessarily be a thing of the past, but they’re certainly rarer than they used to be.

According to new research from job search platform Glassdoor, workplace loneliness is on the rise, and it’s especially stark for employees at the start of their careers. Glassdoor’s study found that almost six in 10 employees with less than five years of work experience are lonely all or most of the time at work, while 47% of those surveyed with six to 10 years under their belts felt this way too. 34% of employees under 35 said they would like to socialise more with their colleagues, while 18% of the workers surveyed said they haven’t socialised with anyone they work with in the last year. “We spend the majority of our time at work, so feelings of loneliness can have a long-lasting and profound impact beyond the workplace,” says careers coach Ayesha Murray. “Hybrid working has heightened this issue as we’ve lost many of our water cooler moments, where connections and friendships were made.”

Workplace loneliness is on the rise – here’s what to do if you’re feeling isolated from your colleagues