Survey highlights management skills gap behind workplace loneliness
UK office workers report weak manager support and workplace loneliness despite increased office attendance.
New research commissioned by workplace engagement platform Kahoot! found many UK office workers continue to feel disconnected from colleagues despite returning to shared workplaces. The findings indicate many organisations increasing office attendance may need to invest more heavily in management capability.
The survey of 2,000 UK office workers found that 40% have experienced loneliness at work despite being surrounded by colleagues and 37% say they have no close friends at work. Many employers have continued to increase office attendance requirements.
Nearly half of employees, 49%, receive less than one hour of one-to-one time with their manager each week and 14% receive no regular weekly one-to-one meetings at all. The study also found that 38% of managers have never received formal management training and the same proportion report experiencing imposter syndrome.
The findings are relevant to learning and development teams supporting employee engagement and manager development.
Communication was the area employees most wanted managers to improve. Among non-management employees, 21% identified clear and effective communication as the biggest development need, ahead of providing meaningful feedback and recognition and demonstrating emotional intelligence and empathy. Managers themselves most commonly identified handling difficult conversations and conflict as the leadership skill they most wanted to develop.
Almost half of respondents, 46%, said meetings are the only time they meaningfully connect with colleagues and 57% believe meetings that include time for personal connection before business discussions are more effective.
More than half of respondents, 52%, said they message colleagues sitting in the same room rather than speaking face-to-face and 17% reported often going through an entire working day without speaking to a colleague. Thirty percent believed workplace relationships were stronger during periods of remote working and 46% said they were more productive when working from home.
- 40% of UK office workers have experienced loneliness at work despite being surrounded by colleagues.
- 37% say they have no close friends at work.
- 49% receive less than one hour of one-to-one time with their manager each week.
- 38% of managers have never received formal management training.
- 57% say meetings that include time for personal connection are more effective.
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Workplace Culture and Connection Report
The research was commissioned by Kahoot! and carried out by OnePoll in May 2026 among 2,000 UK office workers aged 25 and over.