The Anti-Social Century is a recent piece in The Atlantic about how Americans are spending more time alone than ever. A fascinating element about this piece is the quantitative picture post covid: People are opting to be alone more now than even immediately following the pandemic.
Presently, corporations have reinstated in-office policies: from a decrease in salary if you opt to work from home, to a strict four day a week in-office decree, the pandemic work from home (WFH) reality has vastly shifted. Companies want you to be in the brick-and-mortar they are paying for, and, some may argue, these companies want you to collaborate face-to-face.
Rewind about seven years ago when I started my business. I was making a case for WFH. I argued companies would see value from offering this benefit, and would also see an increase in applicant pools. Not only would organizations receive a higher number of applicants, I surmised they would get a more diverse sample set. At the time, we really wanted to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion. And while it has now become taboo in certain circles, the research remains true: the more diverse the team, the more innovative. I digress, but I was marketing the list of benefits of remote work.
Coming back to present day: We are all consumed by laptops, iPads/tablets, phones, smart watches, and the like. And, what researchers are finding is that a person's interest in spending time with people is decreasing. What’s more, there is a correlation between complete mental fatigue and constant stimulation, which does not seem surprising. But beyond the doom scroll (which is a valid call out and should be considered, even if not here), is a culture that is forgetting the essentiality of interacting with others.
Social psychologists posit that our inability to compromise stems from rhetoric that can occur from behind the screen. When faced with community — at work, church, neighbors, and the like — our ability to have empathy increases.
As an organizational communication specialist, this is deeply concerning to me. If we forget how to collaborate, and choose to not spend time with others, we stifle patience, tolerance, grace, and humility. For managers - and particularly their employees - that’s a big deal. Without empathy, we focus only on the task. Without humility, we alienate and separate, rather than unify.
While my synopsis does not do The Atlantic piece justice (read it here), it certainly is food for thought and must be considered as we weigh the pros and cons of being in an office space. Might the in-office culture be our way to reestablish community? Or will it only fuel the prioritization of technology over people?
