Factors Affecting the Relationship between Workplace Loneliness and Productivity of Employees in Pakistan

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18289825

Abstract

Abstract Views: 174

This study aimed to explore the channels through which Workplace Loneliness (WPL) affects employees’ productivity. A theoretical framework was proposed, suggesting WPL increases the Need to Belong (NtB) and Affective Commitment to Organization (ACO), in turn affecting the employees’ productivity. We adopted a survey design to collect primary data through a closed-ended questionnaire. The targeted population consisted of individuals working in various organizations in Pakistan. Data was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). As per the findings, the relationship of WPL seems to have a positive effect on Work Productivity (WP) of employees. WPL also seems to positively affect NtB, which in turn positively affects productivity, hence a significant positive mediation of NtB between WPL and WP. The effect of WPL on ACO seems to be insignificant; however, AC seem to have a positive effect on WP. Both moderation effects seem to remain inconclusive. The novel scholarly contribution of this study includes the practical implications of its results to consider loneliness an organizational problem that needs to be tackled to help employees and improve work productivity.

Keywords:

Affective commitment, Collectivism orientation, Job autonomy, Need to belong, Productivity, Workplace loneliness

Author Biographies

Naila Siddiqui (Ph.D),

She is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan. She has recently completed her MBA in Human Resource Management from Karachi University Business School (KUBS), University of Karachi, Pakistan. She obtained her Doctorate Degree in Education from Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Danish Ahmed Siddiqui (Ph.D),

He is an Associate Professor at Karachi University Business School, University of Karachi, Pakistan. He obtained his Doctorate in Economics and Finance from the University of Karachi, Pakistan.

Samiullah Sarwar,

He is a Lecturer at the Department of Education, University of Loralai, Loralai, Pakistan. He is currently a PhD Scholar at the Department of Education, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan. He completed his MPhil in Education from the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi, Pakistan.

References

Allen, N.J. and Meyer, J.P., 1990. The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63(1), pp.1-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00506.x

Anyan, F. and Hjemdal, O., 2022. Loneliness in social relationships: Mapping the nomological network of loneliness with key conceptual domains and theoretical constructs. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(2), pp.132-154. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211033035

Bakker, A.B. and Demerouti, E., 2017. Job demands–resources theory: taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), p.273.

Basit, A.A. and Nauman, S., 2023. How workplace loneliness harms employee well-being: A moderated mediational model. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, p.1086346. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1086346

Baumeister, R.F. and Leary, M.R., 2017. The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Interpersonal Development, pp.57-89.

Breitsohl, H. and Ruhle, S., 2013. Residual affective commitment to organizations: Concept, causes and consequences. Human Resource Management Review, 23(2), pp.161-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2012.07.008

Bryan, B.T., Andrews, G., Thompson, K.N., Qualter, P., Matthews, T. and Arseneault, L., 2023. Loneliness in the workplace: a mixed-method systematic review and meta-analysis. Occupational Medicine, 73(9), pp.557-567. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqad138

Cacioppo, S., Bangee, M., Balogh, S., Cardenas-Iniguez, C., Qualter, P. and Cacioppo, J.T., 2016. Loneliness and implicit attention to social threat: A high-performance electrical neuroimaging study. Cognitive Neuroscience, 7(1-4), pp.138-159. https://doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2015.1070136

Du, S., Ma, Y. and Lee, J.Y., 2022. Workplace loneliness and the need to belong in the era of COVID-19. Sustainability, 14(8), p.4788.

Edwards, J.P. and Solomon, P.L., 2023. Explaining job satisfaction among mental health peer support workers. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 46(3), p.223. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000577

Eisenberger, R., Stinglhamber, F., Vandenberghe, C., Sucharski, I.L. and Rhoades, L., 2002. Perceived supervisor support: contributions to perceived organizational support and employee retention. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(3), p.565. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.3.565

Gliem, J.A. and Gliem, R.R., 2003. Calculating, interpreting, and reporting Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for Likert-type scales. Midwest research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and community education. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/344

Guo, W., Hancock, J., Cooper, D. and Caldas, M., 2023. Job autonomy and employee burnout: the moderating role of power distance orientation. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 32(1), pp.79-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2022.2101451

Hackman, J.R. and Oldham, G.R., 1975. Development of the job diagnostic survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(2), p.159. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0076546

Hair, J. and Alamer, A., 2022. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3), p.100027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100027

Hair, J.F., Risher, J.J., Sarstedt, M. and Ringle, C.M., 2019. When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), pp.2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Halbesleben, J.R., Neveu, J.P., Paustian-Underdahl, S.C. and Westman, M., 2014. Getting to the “COR” understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. Journal of Management, 40(5), pp.1334-1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130

Han, X., Mortimer, J. and VanHeuvelen, T., 2023. Perceived discrimination in the workplace and mental health from early adulthood to midlife. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 14(1), pp.22-47. https://doi.org/10.1332/175795921X16615892091105

Hobfoll, S.E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J.P. and Westman, M., 2018. Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), pp.103-128. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640

Jha, S., 2023. Workplace loneliness and job performance: moderating role of person-environment fit. Industrial and Commercial Training, 55(2), pp.213-233. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-06-2022-0041

Kakar, A.S., Muhammad Khan, N. and Haider, A., 2023. The turnover intention among IT professionals: A person-organisation fit, person-job fit, and HRM perspective. Human Systems Management, 42(3), pp.325-335. https://doi.org/10.3233/HSM-220072

Khoshnaw, S. and Alavi, H., 2020. Examining the interrelation between job autonomy and job performance: A critical literature review. Multidisciplinary Aspects of Production Engineering, 3(1), pp.606-616.

Lam, R.W., Michalak, E.E. and Yatham, L.N., 2009. A new clinical rating scale for work absence and productivity: Validation in patients with major depressive disorder. BMC psychiatry, 9(1), p.78. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-9-78

Lambert, N.M., Stillman, T.F., Hicks, J.A., Kamble, S., Baumeister, R.F. and Fincham, F.D., 2013. To belong is to matter: Sense of belonging enhances meaning in life. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39(11), pp.1418-1427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213499186

Leary, M.R., Cottrell, C.A. and Phillips, M., 2001. Deconfounding the effects of dominance and social acceptance on self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(5), p.898.

Mccarthy, J.M., Erdogan, B., Bauer, T.N., Kudret, S. and Campion, E., 2025. All the lonely people: an integrated review and research agenda on work and loneliness. Journal of Management, p.01492063241313320. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063241313320

Mercurio, Z.A., 2015. Affective commitment as a core essence of organizational commitment: An integrative literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 14(4), pp.389-414. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484315603612

Meyer, J.P. and Allen, N.J., 1997. Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research, and application. Sage.

Meyer, J.P., Becker, T.E. and Vandenberghe, C., 2004. Employee commitment and motivation: a conceptual analysis and integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(6), p.991.

Nesheim, T., Olsen, K.M. and Sandvik, A.M., 2017. Never walk alone: achieving work performance through networking ability and autonomy. Employee Relations, 39(2), pp.240-253. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-09-2016-0185

Ozcelik, H. and Barsade, S., 2011, January. Work loneliness and employee performance. In Academy of management proceedings (Vol. 2011, No. 1, pp. 1-6). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2011.65869714

Ozcelik, H. and Barsade, S.G., 2018. No employee an island: Workplace loneliness and job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 61(6), pp.2343-2366. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.1066

Restubog, S.L.D., Bordia, P. and Tang, R.L., 2006. Effects of psychological contract breach on performance of IT employees: The mediating role of affective commitment. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 79(2), pp.299-306. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317905X53183

Rhoades, L., Eisenberger, R. and Armeli, S., 2001. Affective commitment to the organization: the contribution of perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(5), p.825.

Ribeiro, N., Gomes, D. and Kurian, S., 2018. Authentic leadership and performance: the mediating role of employees’ affective commitment. Social Responsibility Journal, 14(1), pp.213-225. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-06-2017-0111

Seemann, A., 2022. The psychological structure of loneliness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), p.1061. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031061

Sharma, J. and Dhar, R.L., 2016. Factors influencing job performance of nursing staff: Mediating role of affective commitment. Personnel Review, 45(1), pp.161-182. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2014-0007

Spilker, M.A. and Breaugh, J.A., 2021. Potential ways to predict and manage telecommuters' feelings of professional isolation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 131, p.103646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103646

Stein, J.Y. and Tuval-Mashiach, R., 2015. The social construction of loneliness: An integrative conceptualization. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 28(3), pp.210-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2014.911129

Syed, J. and Ali, F., 2013. Contextual emotional labor: an exploratory of Muslim female employees in Pakistan. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 28(4), pp.228-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-01-2013-0007

Tam, N.V., Watanabe, T. and Hai, N.L., 2022. Importance of autonomous motivation in construction labor productivity improvement in Vietnam: a self-determination theory perspective. Buildings, 12(6), p.763. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12060763

Triandis, H.C., 2001. Individualism‐collectivism and personality. Journal of Personality, 69(6), pp.907-924. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.696169

Van Tilburg, T.G., 2021. Social, emotional, and existential loneliness: A test of the multidimensional concept. The Gerontologist, 61(7), pp.e335-e344. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa082

Veness, H., 1971. The Psychology of Crowd Behaviour: A Review of Freud's Theories in the Light of Contemporary Historical Research. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 5(3), pp.199-205. https://doi.org/10.3109/00048677109159645

Wagner III, J.A., Humphrey, S.E., Meyer, C.J. and Hollenbeck, J.R., 2012. Individualism–collectivism and team member performance: Another look. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(7), pp.946-963. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.783

Wahyuni, D., 2021. Effects of workplace loneliness and perceived organizational support towards intention to leave mediated by organizational commitment. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 10(4), pp.1-16. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v10i4.1212

Wax, A., Deutsch, C., Lindner, C., Lindner, S.J. and Hopmeyer, A., 2022. Workplace loneliness: The benefits and detriments of working from home. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, p.903975. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.903975

Worsley, A., 2023. The Origins of ‘Loneliness’, the Oxford English Dictionary and Sir Philip Sidney's The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia (1590). In The Routledge History of Loneliness (pp. 17-34). Routledge.

Wright, J.P., Naeem, S., Hector, A., Lehman, C., Reich, P.B., Schmid, B. and Tilman, D., 2006. Conventional functional classification schemes underestimate the relationship with ecosystem functioning. Ecology Letters, 9(2), pp.111-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00850.x

Wright, S. and Silard, A., 2021. Unravelling the antecedents of loneliness in the workplace. Human Relations, 74(7), pp.1060-1081. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726720906013

Wright, S.L., 2005. Loneliness in the workplace. University of Canterbury.

Zhang, W., Jex, S.M., Peng, Y. and Wang, D., 2017. Exploring the effects of job autonomy on engagement and creativity: The moderating role of performance pressure and learning goal orientation. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(3), pp.235-251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-016-9453-x

Published

2025-12-31

How to Cite

Siddiqui, N., Siddiqui, D. A., & Sarwar, S. (2025). Factors Affecting the Relationship between Workplace Loneliness and Productivity of Employees in Pakistan. International Journal of Trends and Innovations in Business & Social Sciences, 3(4), 327–339. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18289825

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

1 2 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.