Connecting the disconnected: Professional isolation and inclusion of independent workers

The surging prevalence of independent work is giving rise to concerns about professional isolation. However, the research regarding the purposeful inclusion of workers who feel isolated is not applicable for independent workers, for whom disconnection is inherent in their roles. We address this issue with a grounded theory study involving 30 interviews with independent workers. As independent workers' explicit expectation of work relationships is more transactional than for workers in more traditional roles, formal and social inclusion practices do not necessarily make them feel included. Scholars generally use the terms social and professional isolation interchangeably, but to understand how independent workers experience isolation and how organizations can make them feel included, it is necessary to distinguish between these two concepts. This research contributes to the literature on workplace isolation by providing a nuanced understanding of professional isolation for independent workers and introducing the concept of professional inclusion as a potential solution. This study also provides a theoretical framework that links isolation and inclusion for independent workers.