Social Distancing ≠ Social Disconnection

I know I’m not the first to talk about this, nor, I hope, the last; but we are in trying times, both as a country and as individuals, and we’re being encouraged to engage in 'social distancing' and 'self-isolation' - by extension, taking us away from colleagues, friends and family.

Without going into the whole evolutionary backstory of humanity, we are pack animals, and excel and feel comfortable when engaging with others. As any of my colleagues can attest, I am someone who needs regular interaction and engagement with others; and I’m fortunate to work at a company where we all look out for one another. This is my third day working from home (not that I’m counting, of course) and although I’m now back in Kent with my family, I have to say there is a great deal of loneliness to be felt.

Nevertheless, Green Park and everyone who works there have stayed connected. On a professional note, we’re all set up on Microsoft Teams and are in constant communication, whether that’s over email, phone or video call. We’ve also pencilled in regular sessions (probably more than if we were in office) to check in on each other minus work talk, to see how each of us are coping – realistically, everyone’s affected in different ways. I have coffee catchups with individuals where we can sit and decompress over a cuppa, even though we’re on either side of a screen.

What I’m getting at (in a long-winded way) is that just because we have been instructed to socially distance ourselves does not mean that we should be socially disconnecting. We need each other’s kindness and support now more than ever.

So, as you reach the end of this article, just remember that people need people: pick up the phone, pencil in a video call, send a text; talk, connect and be human.