Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Aug 8;13(16):1943.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare13161943.

Loneliness and Isolation in the Era of Telework: A Comprehensive Review of Challenges for Organizational Success

Elisabeth Figueiredo  1 , Clara Margaça  2 , José Carlos Sánchez-García  1
Affiliations
Review

Loneliness and Isolation in the Era of Telework: A Comprehensive Review of Challenges for Organizational Success

Elisabeth Figueiredo et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Purpose: As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent, scholarly and organizational attention has largely centered on stress and workload. However, emerging evidence highlights loneliness and isolation as critical yet underexplored factors with profound implications for employees' mental health and organizational performance. Method: This study conducts a bibliometric review of 65 peer-reviewed articles indexed in the Scopus database, following PRISMA guidelines and employing VOSviewer for data analysis and visualization. The objective is to examine how loneliness and isolation in remote work settings affect psychological well-being and productivity. Findings: The findings reveal that the absence of physical interaction and structured social environments exacerbates feelings of detachment, contributing to emotional strain and reduced job performance. Despite the growing importance of remote work, the literature remains fragmented in addressing its broader psychological and organizational consequences. Originality/Value: This study offers theoretical insights and practical recommendations for managers and policymakers, emphasizing the need for preventive strategies and inclusive management practices to support employee well-being, foster engagement, and sustain organizational effectiveness in remote work contexts.

Keywords: bibliometric review; innovation; isolation; knowledge sharing; loneliness; organizational performance; productivity; telework.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Article selection and exclusion flowchart, according to PRISMA 2020.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scientific articles and citations per year.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Countries with the highest number of publications.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Documents by subject area.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Co-keyword map of isolation and loneliness in relation to telework (threshold: one co-occurrence per keyword).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Co-keyword map of isolation and loneliness in relation to telework (threshold: three co-occurrences per keyword).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Palmucci D.N., Santoro G. Managing employees’ needs and well-being in the post-COVID-19 era. Manag. Decis. 2024;62:4138–4147. doi: 10.1108/MD-02-2024-0233. - DOI
    1. Zhang D., Luo C., Zi Y. Teleworkability and its heterogeneity in labor market shock. J. Asian Eco. 2024;92:101741. doi: 10.1016/j.asieco.2024.101741. - DOI
    1. Saurombe M.D., Rayners S.S., Mokgobu K.A., Manka K. The perceived influence of remote working on specific human resource management outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. SA J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2022;20:a2033. doi: 10.4102/sajhrm.v20i0.2033. - DOI
    1. Chung H., Birkett H., Forbes S., Seo H. COVID-19, flexible working, and implications for gender equality in the United Kingdom. Gend. Soc. 2021;35:218–232. doi: 10.1177/08912432211001304. - DOI
    1. Figueiredo E., Ribeiro C., Pereira P., Passos C. Teletrabalho: Contributos e desafios para as organizações. Rev. Psicol. Organ. Trab. 2021;21:1427–1438. doi: 10.5935/rpot/2021.2.21642. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources