Is your increasingly lonely work life actually killing you?
Graham Jones
Senior Lecturer, Speaker, Author, Business Consultant. Helping you understand online behaviour and psychology.
I went into the office on Monday and Tuesday and noticed how quickly I got through the 60-mile journey. The roads were much less busy. Perhaps most people had started the holidays early.? However, they may have been like I was for the rest of the week, working from home. I have spent the last three days alone in my little office behind the kitchen. At least it is close to the mince pies.
A significant problem with working from home is loneliness. Indeed, several studies have examined why people go to work, and the main reason is “to be with other people.” We don’t go to work for the job; we do it because we like being in groups.
The social side of work should not be underestimated. We are, after all, driven as humans to be very social. Without being social, we don’t meet potential partners; if that didn’t happen, there would be no reproduction. We are designed to be social simply so that we can carry on having babies.?
Work today, though, is increasingly isolated. Millions of people working from home connect through chat-based systems and the occasional video call. Even then, half the people don’t switch on their cameras, using some lame excuse that everyone else on the call knows is a great big fib. Several companies have issued “RTO” notices—“Return To Office.”? People troop back to the office, sitting in their cubicles on a Zoom call with someone else 10 feet away. Work is no longer social, and teams are disintegrating because of this.
This week, the MIT Sloan Management Review highlighted new trends in hybrid working that are likely to become very important in the year ahead. One of these is the idea that companies will stop the “one size fits all” policy of hybrid working. They will no longer insist that everyone comes into the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Instead, it will be left to groups of people to decide what works best for them. In other words, there will be a return to interaction based on human needs, not some diktat from the boss.
That’s welcome news because research from the University of Nottingham published this week shows that living in a digitally connected world is not good for us. The study found that being constantly connected through digital systems harms our well-being. You probably guessed that anyway. The researchers said there are “dark side effects” of working digitally, as required in hybrid or home-based activities. Stress, anxiety, overload and fear of missing out are constantly there when we work digitally, it seems.?
Isolated work, connecting to others digitally, is not helping your health. Being with others socially improves your health. Humans socialise not just to reproduce but because it stimulates a host of healthy chemicals and processes in the body.?
Indeed, the Office for National Statistics recently confirmed that the number one cause of death in the UK is now dementia. It is known that isolation and loneliness increase the risk of dementia. Studies have revealed that being social halves your risk of dementia. The more we work in isolation, disconnected from one another, the worse those dementia statistics are going to be.
Interestingly, there is a potential solution: join a trade union. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found that people in a trade union tend to live longer than those who are not members. In fact, the study reveals that being a trade union member reduces one's odds of dying by 1.5% in just one year. Non-union members are more likely to die than those in a union. The researchers point out that one reason behind this difference is the social nature of being in a union. The social side of trade union membership confers a health benefit all its own.
Whether it is being in a trade union or gaining the health benefits of social interaction in the workplace itself, the growing research evidence points to one thing: working from home or in isolated office cubicles, like digital lab rats, is literally killing us.? Working from home on our own has benefits. But we need to reintroduce the social benefits of work, revitalising those teams so that we have a sense of belonging and, therefore, want to go to the office simply to be with other people. Try it - your doctor will notice the impact it has on you.
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2 个月Yes, the social aspects are important. Here's an experience I saw in a different context. Way before wfh was a considration I worked in a sales team, mostly office based, but frequent visits to client site/offices. There were some other whose format was to only come into the office every 2 weeks or so, because they are best described as 'travelling salesmen' and worked in distant but dense terriories. When they did come into the office they distrupted us, other sales people, the admin staff, and the secretaries. People they would only be able to communicate with in snatched telphone calls, in their 'normal' day. Much to my colleagues annoyance, because of their own work pressures. Then I realised this was the one time they could share their experiences, bond with colleagues, and feel the Corporate arm around themselves. It wasn't a wasted day for them, is was affirming their place 'in the business'.
Supply Chain Manager at Briggs Amasco Ltd
2 个月I think is something that gets forgotten about, Graham. Since 2006 I've been a hybrid worker as I was a department of one and a lot of my work is on the computer. However, it was important to both me and the company that we maintained the teamwork and social aspect of work and so I went in two days and worked from home for three. As a part-timer that is now one day in and two days at home. I work my office day to fit in with meetings or what other people are doing so we get a catch up. Yes, I get a lot more done at home if you are talking about projects and deadlines, but by interacting in person with colleagues you are actually achieving too. A quick chat about an issue by looking at it together and in person can resolve something far quicker than ten emails. Sometimes, I don't want to do the hour drive but when I'm there I'm glad I did. All that said, I do like my home work life as well as I can switch off all interruptions and concentrate. I have a properly set up separate office. Therefore, in the right circumstances, hybrid working when managed properly is a good option.
So very true! I know I will "get a lot more done" working from home and sometimes it is needed! But I definitely feel the need to go into work after a few days wfh! And I think we create stronger team dynamics in person than online!