Remote working is challenged by the rise in loneliness

Last year the food delivery company Seamless put eye-catching advertisements all over the subway with the campaign reading “over 8 million people in New York City, and we help you avoid them all”. This is one of the many signs post-COVID of the new subtle messages that are changing how we are working and interacting with each other. While remote working has many benefits there is no doubt that the rise in loneliness has been exacerbated by many employees now working from home.

Remote work is incredibly convenient for people, but rarely do we hear that it is more fun. The lack of going out to work has many unintended consequences. We do not have those micro-interactions with the bus driver, the barista, or the security guard on the way to our office. We are gradually moving to a negative politeness culture where we find it strange if someone smiles at us on the subway or starts up a conversation with us at the bus stop. With our ears filled with earphones and our eyes glued to the phone, we are spending much, much more time alone, even in crowded spaces.

Physically coming together gives us precious skills that video calls and digital conversations cannot replicate. It is harder to walk away from someone in person but very easy to log off in the digital world. This is not the reason that companies are pushing employees back to the workplace, but at least when people are visible it is easier to see the signs of loneliness. When a colleague eats alone in the lunchroom every day it is much more visible than when a colleague spends days at home at their desk with no in-person interactions with others.

Other research into the working from home phenomenon highlights that it is creating more polarisation of our views. As we spend more time online, we end up being fed content that agrees with our worldview which leads to more strident views and less ability to see other people’s viewpoints, especially if they contradict our own. A workplace is a good place for meeting those with views inconsistent with yours and therefore helps balance our opinions and views of others. This clearly helps with the diversity agenda.

Articles highlighting the rise of loneliness like to give simple solutions – call more people, reach out to different groups, go for more walks, speak to strangers, etc. However, it is the job of all of us to recognise that this is a societal problem and if we are more mindful, perhaps we will pick up the phone a little more rather than type that essay-long email. We are still very much at the start of the remote and flexible work revolution; it is here to stay despite companies like Amazon asking employees to return to the office five days a week. However, we need to realise that having a policy on hybrid working may mask some of the in-person challenges that are complex and need to be worked on constantly by employers, managers, and individuals.

Peter Cosgrove is Managing Director of Futurewise and advises companies on how to navigate the new world of work.