I had to wear my shoes all day today…
This sounds like a weird thing to say, and definitely not something we would have said just two short years ago this month. I actually said this to my wife last week after spending full days at the office, and in the field with clients over the past few months.
It occurred to me last week that we have “gotten out of shape” from a Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, at-the-office perspective.?Certain segments of our population have gotten used to, and likely embrace many aspects of working from home.??There’s a certain level of comfort to pulling on your “work from home clothes,” getting a cup of coffee and settling in at your home office area.??
?With that comfort, we’ve likely lost some “muscle memory” of the social skills and office etiquette that comes with going to the office on a daily basis. ?Since the big C-19 surfaced on the west coast in the spring of 2020, we’ve gotten used to an overuse of e-mail, instant messaging, and texting.?On the surface – super efficient and gets the job done.?The side effect is the missed intent that would be apparent from face-to-face gatherings, and those “micro-meetings” you have with a colleague as you grab a cup of coffee. ?I would imagine businesses have suffered more than they know from the lack of these connections.
?Case in point, Reynolds Middle School had to shut down in-person learning last fall for 3 weeks – after more than a year of remote learning – to address fights and misbehavior of its student body.??A pretty clear indication those students lost some social skills in the absence or regular human contact.??
?Am I suggesting that an all-out Donnybrook is going to break out at the office water cooler???Probably not. ?Middle schoolers have lost 5 to 10% of their cognitive years when they normally would have been developing social norms.??Adults have a better grasp of boundaries, and a physical altercation with Randy because he didn’t put paper in the copier would likely result in a trip to the unemployment line.??But this is a good illustration that people’s social skills can erode pretty fast when not used regularly.?
?I think I'll try to coin the phrase "Flabby Social Skills" to see if it sticks.
?My advice? Wade in carefully as you return to the office.?Exercise empathy and patience with your colleagues.?Perhaps double check to see if the copier has paper in it.
?I am returning to the office 3 days a week. the benefits of a People First Company like McKinstry.?I just might bring my dress slippers to the office to ease into the transition.?
Sales Manager - Service Division
2 年#flabbysocialskills #remotework
Operations Manager at McKinstry
2 年I love this! We’ve all gotten so used to not only the safety and ease of working from home but have introduced, like a new sector of pandemic enforced, Angoraphobia. We’ve cocooned away in our bubbles and for many there is real anxiety at the thought of suddenly tearing away at our safety nets to “get back to normal”. I agree that we have to be kind to one another. Respect what each of us needs to do, to baby step it back as best we can. Social interaction is really imperative for many reasons. I went from a total social butterfly pre C-19, to really battling my own internal stressors to push myself back to feeling how I did before the pandemic, as seemingly all of the restrictions are lifting. Anyway…Thank you so much for sharing. Reads from a personal perspective, help people like me feel better. ??