4 ways businesses can combat the UK's loneliness 'epidemic'

The detrimental impact of loneliness on the economy has been illuminated by MP Rachel Reeves, of the Jo Cox Loneliness Commission, who believes the UK is currently in the grip of a loneliness 'epidemic'.

Speaking ahead of the Jo Cox Commission report, Reeves, the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, believes businesses have a role to play in eradicating loneliness, especially considering estimates that the cost of loneliness on British companies is £2.5billion a year in days lost.

Writing in City AM, Reeves warns that employers can no longer afford to ignore the consequences of doing nothing. “As with environmental sustainability 20 years ago, forward-thinking organisations no longer frame loneliness as a charitable cause, but as a social issue they can influence directly by the way they do business.

“Small, practical steps can be transformational as companies reflect on the way they organise and support their ever more remote and fragmented workforce.”