About the workshop

Work loneliness is an increasingly important organisational challenge that can affect employees, managers and leaders across all industries and work arrangements. Research shows that loneliness at work is linked to wellbeing, engagement, retention and performance, making it both a human and management issue.

This interactive workshop will begin with a short overview of current research on work loneliness and social connection. Participants will then engage in roundtable discussions to explore how loneliness is experienced across different occupations, work conditions, organisations and individual circumstances. Together, we will identify practical solutions that can strengthen connection and belonging at work.

Participants will leave with:

• A better understanding of work loneliness and its workplace impacts
• Insights into factors that contribute to loneliness in different work contexts
• Practical ideas and strategies to foster social connection and belonging
• Actions they can adapt and implement within their own workplaces

About Sarah

Professor Sarah Wright is an organisational behaviour researcher specialising in workplace relationships, social connection and employee wellbeing. Her work examines work loneliness, relationship quality and meaningful work, with a focus on how organisational factors influence social experiences and interpersonal dynamics in organisations.

She publishes widely on work loneliness, leadership, organisational behaviour and employee wellbeing, and collaborates with international researchers, industry partners and community organisations to support evidence-based approaches to leadership development and fostering healthy work environments. Her research informs organisational practice, HR strategy and wellbeing initiatives across sectors.

Sarah is Associate Dean Research in the UC Business School and an experienced supervisor of Masters and Doctoral students. She contributes to teaching and mentoring in leadership, organisational behaviour and management, and is committed to strengthening research capability and fostering high-impact, collaborative scholarship.

About the workshop

This is an introductory workshop that builds understanding of loneliness, social isolation and the important role social connection plays in health and wellbeing. Grounded in the latest evidence, the session provides practical knowledge that participants can apply in their work and communities.

Participants will learn:

• What loneliness and social isolation are and why they matter
• The impact of loneliness on health and wellbeing
• Key risk factors for loneliness across the lifespan
• How to use the Conceptual Model of Loneliness as a person-centred social care assessment tool
• Evidence-informed approaches and practical strategies that strengthen social connection

We are offering a discounted registration rate to make this training more accessible to those working directly with communities and creating opportunities for connection.

About Robbie

Dr Robbie Eres is a Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology at Deakin University. His work is grounded in a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on psychology, neuroscience and biology to better understand how social environments influence mental and physical health.

Their research focuses on the social determinants of health, with particular emphasis on how experiences such as social isolation, loneliness and social exclusion contribute to mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety and stress. Dr Eres is especially interested in the ways these challenges affect vulnerable and underrepresented populations, and how we can develop accessible, evidence-based interventions to improve wellbeing.

Dr Eres has contributed to the development and evaluation of digital mental health interventions targeting loneliness and related outcomes among groups such as young people with psychosis, individuals experiencing social anxiety, those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and LGBTQIA+ communities. A central focus of his work is ensuring that mental health support is inclusive, scalable and responsive to diverse lived experiences.

His research also centres on gender, sex and sexuality, and the social health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ individuals. As someone with lived experience within the queer community, Dr Eres is deeply committed to producing research that is both scientifically rigorous and community informed.