It's a Tuesday afternoon. You're on your couch with a laptop, halfway through a sprint. No meetings until Thursday. Your Slack status says "heads down." Your roommate moved out six months ago, and you haven't seen a neighbor in weeks. If something happened to you right now — a fall, a seizure, a cardiac event — how long would it take for someone to notice?
For millions of remote workers who live alone, the answer is uncomfortable: hours, possibly days. And that gap between "something went wrong" and "someone noticed" is the hidden risk nobody talks about when they celebrate the freedom of working from home.
The Scale of the Problem
Remote work isn't a trend anymore — it's the default for a significant portion of the workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 27% of employed Americans worked remotely at least part-time in 2025, and that number continues to hold steady. The Pew Research Center found that among workers with jobs that can be done remotely, the majority prefer to work from home most or all of the time.
At the same time, the number of Americans living alone has been climbing for decades. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that about 29% of U.S. households are single-person households — nearly 37 million people. Many of them are young professionals, not just seniors.
The overlap between these two groups — remote workers who also live alone — is enormous. And while we've had endless conversations about the mental health effects of isolation, we've barely touched the physical safety implications.
The Scenario Nobody Plans For
Let's walk through a realistic scenario:
- Tuesday, 2:15 PM — You stand up from your desk and feel dizzy. You fall and hit your head on the corner of your kitchen counter. You lose consciousness.
- Tuesday, 4:00 PM — A colleague sends you a Slack message. No response. They assume you stepped away.
- Wednesday, 9:30 AM — Your manager notices you haven't responded to anything since yesterday afternoon. They send a "Hey, you okay?" message.
- Wednesday, 5:00 PM — Still no response. Your manager starts to worry but thinks maybe you called in sick and the message didn't go through.
- Thursday, 10:00 AM — You miss a scheduled meeting. Now people are concerned. Someone tries calling your phone. It rings out.
- Thursday, 6:00 PM — A colleague contacts your emergency contact at work. Your mom, who lives three states away, starts calling hospitals.
That's roughly 52 hours from incident to someone realizing you need help. In a medical emergency, 52 hours can be the difference between a full recovery and a tragedy.
Why Remote Workers Are Uniquely Vulnerable
Traditional office workers have a built-in safety net they rarely think about. If you don't show up to the office, someone notices by 9:30 AM. Your empty desk is a signal. Remote workers have no equivalent.
Several factors make this worse:
- Asynchronous communication norms — In remote culture, it's normal to not respond for hours. Nobody panics when you're offline because "deep work" is respected.
- Flexible schedules — When people work different hours, there's no fixed "you should be here by now" moment.
- Meeting-light cultures — Many remote teams pride themselves on having few meetings. Less face time means fewer checkpoints.
- Social isolation — Remote workers who live alone may go days without in-person interaction. The delivery driver might be the only person who sees you all week.
- Health risks compound — Sedentary work increases risks of blood clots, cardiac events, and falls. The World Health Organization has identified physical inactivity as a leading risk factor globally.
Simple Safety Habits for Remote Workers
You don't need to overhaul your life. A few small habits can dramatically reduce your risk window:
1. Establish a daily check-in with someone
This doesn't need to be formal. A "good morning" text to a friend or family member. A quick call with a parent. The key is consistency — if you always text your sister at 8 AM and one day you don't, she knows to follow up.
2. Keep your phone accessible
This sounds obvious, but many people leave their phone charging in another room while they work. If you fall in the kitchen, your phone in the bedroom won't help. Consider a smartwatch that can detect falls, or simply keep your phone in your pocket.
3. Tell someone your schedule
Let a friend, family member, or neighbor know your general routine. "I usually work 9 to 6. If I don't respond to messages by evening, something might be off." This simple context turns casual concern into actionable awareness.
4. Build check-in points into your day
Even if your team is async, create your own checkpoints. A standup post in the morning. An end-of-day summary. These aren't just productivity tools — they're proof of life.
5. Use an automated check-in system
Manual habits require discipline, and discipline fails when you need it most (when you're sick, stressed, or having a bad day). An automated system like StillSafe sends you a check-in prompt at your scheduled time. If you respond, nothing happens. If you don't, it follows an escalation path — a reminder text, an AI verification call, and then notifications to your emergency contacts. No effort on good days. Full coverage on bad ones.
What About Medical Alert Devices?
Medical alert devices (like Life Alert) are excellent for seniors and people with known health conditions, but they have a fundamental limitation: you have to press the button. If you're unconscious or disoriented, a wearable panic button won't help unless it has automatic fall detection — and even then, the technology isn't perfect.
The advantage of a check-in system is that it works on absence rather than action. You don't need to do anything when something goes wrong. You just need to have done something when things were fine. The system notices when that pattern breaks.
A Note on Mental Health
This article focuses on physical emergencies, but it's worth mentioning: a daily check-in system can also serve as a mental health touchpoint. The act of checking in — confirming "I'm here, I'm okay" — is itself a small moment of self-awareness. And knowing that someone will notice if you withdraw completely can be a quiet comfort during difficult periods.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
Most remote workers reading this will think, "That won't happen to me." And statistically, for any given day, they're right. But over years of working from home alone, the odds shift. The CDC reports that falls are the leading cause of injury for adults of all ages, not just seniors. Cardiac events can happen to healthy people in their 30s and 40s. Allergic reactions, diabetic emergencies, seizures — these don't wait for convenient timing.
The question isn't whether you're at risk. It's whether anyone would know in time to help.
Building Your Safety Net
Here's a practical starting point:
- Today — Tell one person your daily routine and ask them to check on you if they don't hear from you by a certain time.
- This week — Set up an automated daily check-in so you're covered even when your human safety net is busy.
- This month — Review your home for trip hazards, make sure your phone is always within reach, and update your emergency contacts at work.
Remote work gave us freedom. A little planning ensures that freedom doesn't come at the cost of safety.
StillSafe was built for exactly this. A daily check-in that takes five seconds when everything's fine — and sends help when it's not. Learn more about how it works for people who live alone, or create your free account.