THE FUTURE IS FINALLY HERE!

Shortly before the Corona virus showed itself, I ordered lunch at a Swedish fast food chain. The guy behind the cashier looked tragically bored. I went up to him, ordered my lunch, and asked him about the miserable look on his face. He pointed to five machines behind me where I could order my lunch in advance, compose how I wanted it, pay for it, and then wait. For a human being to put the bag of food on the counter. The management had made an incentive for the lunch guests to choose that method, the guy said.

He told me he missed giving advices and tips, to talk about the weather, to meet his regular lunch guests and exchange some phrases. All that was about to disappear. When people went to the machines, his job had been reduced to only the dullest and most depressing parts.

But the world is changing, I said. We are facing a paradigm shift towards even more digital solutions when it comes to our interaction at work. I told him that development must continue. It is in human nature to strive forward, to explore, to develop, to pave a new path. From when we invented the wheel, it has been in our nature to constantly seek improvements.

I know that, the guy said. But these days I hate my job.

Here’s the challenge: technology will always be refined. And it's natural that more effective alternatives get introduced when needed or imagined. How else would we continue to work if we could not contact each other online?

The reasons for digitization have mainly been to improve efficiency, which means: to save money. Nothing wrong with that. The same incentive drove the introduction of open office landscapes. Now we will increasingly switch to more advanced tools with many cool possibilities, which allow us to conduct digital meetings over the web. The Corona threat has finally led us to accept avoiding even crossing the corridor to a meeting room, and instead logging in to a web meeting instead. This way we save money, the environment and meeting time. Maybe physical and shared working spaces won’t even be needed anymore. People will not even have to leave their homes. 

So, are there really no downsides to all of this?

There is a serious flaw hidden here. Humans are not hermits. We are social beings. Although we cannot or should not meet in person right now, it is in our genes to do so. Not being able to meet people plagues a huge number of us right now and it triggers extensive stress symptoms. It flattens motivation.

We simply cannot change how nature has created us. Many of us need to interact the regular way. We need to meet, socialize, read body language, interpret facial expressions, feel scents, occasionally even touch each other. I am not an opponent of technology, not at all. But it cannot replace interpersonal communication.

So, what is the conclusion? To use all new tools when necessary, but at the same time we must keep an eye on those who miss having contact with colleagues, managers and customers. In the long run, these co-workers will not be able to perform perfectly from behind a screen, no matter how effective it looks on paper. Just as the idea of open office landscapes did not suit everyone, digitization will not suit all of us.

So, let's remind ourselves of that when the world returns to normal again. Digitalize, but do it when needed. Not just because we can. Humans must be allowed to still be humans. And the guy at my lunch restaurant may be able keep some level of motivation in the future as well. I think my lunch will taste better if he appreciates his work. At the very least, the experience will feel better – for both of us.

That's what is so fascinating with us humans. We are not all the same. Allow us to be different in the future too.