Single people are more apt to work on Sundays

Singles are drowning their Sunday blues with work, which experts warn isn’t necessarily the healthiest coping strategy.

In a recent survey of 1,000 singles by Dating.com, 52% of those without a romantic partner said they spend most Sundays alone and 65% say it’s the loneliest day of their week. To cope, 74% say they’ve turned to work to keep themselves busy, and 40% say they do so often.

“Sunday is usually the quietest day of the week, and when you don’t have a family or anyone that you’re dating to spend time with, it’s a time that could feel very sad,” explains licensed clinical social worker and resident therapist for Dating.com, Jaime Bronstein. “A lot of people work to avoid being in their feelings, which is not necessarily recommended because it’s important to feel your feelings.”

Bronstein adds that some employers may even put higher expectations on their single staff knowing they have fewer personal responsibilities occupying their time.

“Sometimes people that are single feel like they don’t have a purpose,” she adds. “By working extra, they can feel like that’s their purpose.”

Loneliness is on the rise, and bleeding into the workplace

Though dating in any generation has its challenges, Bronstein suggests it’s become more isolating in the digital age.

“It’s the rise of social media comparisons, seeing all the happy-looking couples, and then it’s all the dating apps,” she says. “There’s so much ghosting, people aren’t giving people enough of a chance because of the disposability factor and the ability to just find someone else, so there’s a lot more rejection.”

In 2023 loneliness and isolation was labeled a “global health concern” by the World Health Organization and an “epidemic” by the U.S. Surgeon General, but the challenge seems to have only gotten worse since. And it’s extended further, into individuals’ professional lives.

In a survey conducted in September by KPMG, 45% of respondents reported feelings of loneliness in the workplace, up from 25% just 10 months earlier. “The data tells us there’s been an increase in loneliness in the last year,” says KPMG’s vice chair of Talent & Culture Sandy Torchia.

Though it’s hard to pinpoint a precise cause, the research suggests that financial constraints have played a role, with 75% of respondents saying it’s becoming harder to afford social activities with colleagues outside of the workplace. Remote work may also be playing a role, as 67% of those who work entirely from home report feeling isolated at work, compared to 45% among all workers. Furthermore, while 84% of respondents said having close professional friends was “very important” for their mental health, that number rises to 93% among remote workers.

Lonely workers aren’t productive workers

It may be tempting to consider the loneliness-driven extra work hours on weekends a win for employers, but Torchia cautions that encouraging overwork isn’t in anyone’s best interest in the long run.

“That’s not an equation for success, because we want our employees to thrive. And for you to be able to thrive professionally, you need to be able to thrive personally,” she says. 

Even if they’re putting in more hours, those who use work as a crutch for managing loneliness are more susceptible to exhaustion, depression, and burnout—potentially creating new challenges in their professional lives. That’s potentially exacerbated for singles, who already may be more prone to burnout due to money concerns: they’re often in a higher tax bracket, or spend more on housing or cost-of-living expenses when there’s no one to split the bill with.

“A happy, fulfilled, less stressed, less overwhelmed employee is going to be more productive and bring more value to your company,” adds Bronstein.

Being lonely at work can make us more lonely at home

Whether in the digital or physical world, the workplace is where most people spend the largest share of their time, giving employers a unique opportunity to address isolation and loneliness among staff. That’s true for anyone, but potentially singles who may be loneliner in particular.

In the KPMG survey, for example, 29% of respondents said they were more productive when they had close friends at work. Torchia says organizations can promote workplace friendships by creating more opportunities for colleagues to connect over nonwork activities. 

“In the survey, 89% of respondents said company-facilitated interactions were very important, so there is an expectation for companies to play a role,” she says. “And then 91% said that their manager or another senior leader encouraged them to foster friendships.” 

The KPMG data is consistent with research from Gallup, which found loneliness affected 20% of Americans in mid-2024, up from 17% at the start of that year.

Younger people were also more likely to report feeling lonely, including 21% of millennials and 29% of Gen Z employees.

“Employees have, progressively over the last several years, felt more detached from their organization, and it doesn’t have to be that way,” says Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management and wellbeing Dr. Jim Harter. 

“The emotion of loneliness isn’t just about having friends at work; it’s about having an opportunity to do your best, feeling like you’re making a contribution, having clear goals.”

A weekly check-in with a manager is key to combatting employee loneliness 

Employers likely won’t step in to help staff with their dating lives, but Harter says managers can play an outsized role in helping them combat feelings of isolation.

“Conversations with a manager and employee—even just once a week and lasting for 30 minutes—can establish the relationship between the individual and the organization and the contribution they’re making,” he says. “People feel a lot lonelier if they don’t feel like their work is making a contribution.” 

According to Gallup’s research, employees are less likely to feel isolated if they have clarity of expectations, feel recognized for their contributions, feel like someone cares about their development, feel connected to the organization’s mission, and if they get the chance to do something they’re good at every day. 

“All of those things are really central to whether working people feel lonely or not,” Harter says. “When managers have a weekly meaningful conversation with employees, it solves for a lot of it.”