I didn‘t like crating my dog any longer and any more than was necessary, so he was only in there at night and for short times in the day until I was confident he couldn‘t come to any harm or cause any damage in the house. I started by taking the door off the crate when he was around 4 - 5 months so that he had his secure place and he only had access to the hall and kitchen and eventually took the crate away altogether.
How long is Winston left in the day? If he‘s been used to having you around all the time and then very suddenly he‘s spending several hours back in his crate, its understandable that he‘s upset. I would suggest going back to the basics and practise leaving him for shorter periods by just popping in and out of the house as casually as you can and without too much fuss. If he‘s quiet when you return, give him a pat or a word of praise but keep it low key so that he learns that your comings and goings are normal. You can also try leaving him with a toy or a treat (Kongs filled with something tasty will keep him happy for a while) which he ONLy gets when he‘s on his own, so that he associates something positive with your absence.
A good walk /exercise before he‘s left will help tire him out and if you can get someone to give him a bit of exercise while you‘re out, that might help too.
I imagine that you‘re probably not on your own with the problem, there are doubtless many dogs wondering where everybody’s suddenly gone!
. but most will cope with an absence of a couple of hours with no problem once they’re used to it.
Best of luck!