Unity Place is using Mental Health Awareness Week to examine a quieter consequence of hybrid working: the growing sense of isolation reported by many remote employees and freelancers.

The Milton Keynes venue has launched a week-long programme of talks, networking events and wellbeing sessions aimed at encouraging greater social connection among workers who now spend much of their professional lives away from traditional offices.

The initiative comes as employers continue to assess the cultural impact of post-pandemic working patterns. Research cited by Unity Place suggests more than half of employees experience loneliness at work at least occasionally, while a significant number have considered leaving jobs because of it.

Events planned throughout the week include workplace wellbeing discussions at x+why coworking space, creative workshops, informal networking sessions and lunchtime wellness activities.

For freelance creative director and editor Kiana Kamalian, the shift towards remote working has brought both flexibility and detachment.

“A lot of my work goes into research, editing and presentations — it’s all just in a little corner by yourself, isolated,” she said.

“When I worked with remote teams, we’d have a 15-minute call in the morning and that was it. You don’t get that contact time.”

Kiana said shared public workspaces can help recreate some of the informal interaction that disappears when work becomes entirely home-based.

“When I was sitting in the café at Unity Place someone overheard me talking about editing work and started chatting to me about it,” she said. “I loved that. We need more of that.”

Adam Holbrook, head of placemaking at Unity Place, said the programme had been designed to encourage connection beyond formal workplaces.

“Mental Health Awareness Week is an important opportunity to highlight the value of human connection, particularly at a time when many people are spending more time working remotely or independently,” he said.

“At Unity Place, we want to create opportunities for people to connect, collaborate and feel part of a community.”

The events continue throughout the week at Unity Place in central Milton Keynes.