To think that in years to come there will be studies into the social isolation caused by working from home?

[MySugarBabyLove]

I think that on many levels working from home is beneficial, so I’m not looking at slating the existence of WFH.

But I do believe that in years to come we will start to look at the social isolation that wfh has led to.

It’s already known that people who don’t work, be that because they’re home with the kids, or because they have disabilities are more socially isolated, purely because they just don’t get the same opportunities to speak to people as people do when they’re at work. In fact there have been many threads on here over the years from SAHMs who say they feel lonely and isolated, and the suggestion has been that they should go back to work.

Let’s face it, most of our interactions happen at work, and even if we don’t end up with lasting friendships, we do end up with regular opportunities to interact with people.

And now many people are working from home. And while there are many other benefits, the work/life balance, the ability to go to work without a commute, and be home at a decent hour etc, but I do think that the lack of interaction that WFH has led to should be acknowledged.

I work entirely from home. It works for me because I have a disability as well as another health condition, so while a commute would have been possible, not having to do so does benefit me.

And yet I feel more isolated now than before I started this job. Because although I work with people, a quick chat on teams isn’t a substitute for being able to have a laugh in the office, pass people going in and out, seeing someone at the coffee point.

My job started as WFH, I’ve been there since last July, and I have never and likely will never meet any of my colleagues in person.

And the longer I do it, the more I realise how different it is to when I used to work in an office.

I don’t miss the office politics, but I do think that WFH will possibly have a negative impact on people’s social abilities and their sense of belonging and isolation, and that this is something there will be studies on in the future.

It seems to have settled into a place where most people are happier in the sector I know

Usually wfh Monday and Friday with the option to go in if you want, plus more flexibility so if you’ve got a thing after work and wfh helps with timing you can

This always gets argued on here, but leaves out that some younger people have more opportunities now, not less, because of remote work. Young people just like everyone else may be disabled, have caring responsibilities, be unable to live in close physical proximity to the best job markets, be neurodiverse or have any other characteristic that means full or partial workplace attendance is a problem. Young people aren't a monolith and don't all have the same characteristics.

WFH is good for some people that I know, especially those who had a long commute or who always wanted a WFH job

However, it isn't good for everyone

Some people take advantage of the situation & take the xxxx

I prefer to seperate my work & home life & prefer to work our of the home

Working from home certainly has its advantages, but you shouldn't overlook the importance of social interaction in person in the workplace. In an admin role, you learn a lot from being aware of what's going on around you, what issues are being dealt with by others, which may also cross your path. I enjoy the different people I meet at work, many of whom I would never meet or have the opportunity to speak to outside of that environment.

I’m glad they’ve kept some time not wfh, and there’s more flexibility all over

But I do feel for people if it’s full wfh and not working for them

People seem so much happier though just from being released from daily presenteeism. It was long hours and meant you’d not get as many fathers as pick up as you do now (where I am)

I mostly work from home & I'm happy enough. I have friends and a social life so I'm not depending on work colleagues for company. I also work far better without commute and work distractions.

I'd say thinking about it, anyone I know who's said they're fed up/lonely etc are those who are screen-addicted - ie sitting indoors watching others' lives via Facebook etc instead of making a life for themselves. 1 person I know wastes ages getting into political arguments on FB. I'm baffled as to why, when she doesn't even know these people? Faux company. It's just a waste of hours of your life.

Screen-addiction in favour of interacting in the real world is more likely to lead to loneliness than WFH.

Eldest DC does a hybrid job but when WFH goes out to a co-working space as feels the need to get out of the house. I think it's different for young people

I only know one person who is socially isolated as a result of wfh.

Most people still interact with colleagues on teams and for teams days, still socialise with family and friends, still talk to people they bump into on their dog walks/ shop runs/ school runs etc, still visit the gym/church/allotment/whatever their hobby.

In fact, I think I have probably spent more time socialising since wfh because a) I am not too knackered from my commute to do anything of an evening and b) I have more flexibility to pop out during the day and do things like dog walking, reading with school kids, lunch time swim or yoga.

Locally, there seems to be more going on during the day time since wfh became more widespread too. Gosh, look at all that social time and choice that working from an office and commuting has stolen from us previously!

Work places don’t need to be social hubs. In fact, I am guessing that work colleagues are the last people on earth most want to be socialising with!

When taking the bigger picture into account, I think this is too narrow a view on the issue. WFH takes away the socialising done in an office environment, but to say that that in itself causes isolation isn't exactly true. That suggests there's a situation wherein you can either socialise regularly in an office, or stay home and socialise hardly ever, which is obviously not the case.

For society, I think the best way forward is keeping the focus on community and socialising, but not assuming that work is the ideal/default place for people to get that. Have coffee shops open later, so that you can go out late without it having to be a loud, alcohol based event. Create spaces in towns and cities for spending time with people that isn't based around spending money. Support communities to maintain support networks for each other, with things like community events and community services. I think these are the things worth putting effort into, rather than worrying that we should all be in the workplace more often to get our socialising hours in.

A lot of people find the forced socialisation of work, mentally exhausting and so need to recharge when they are off work. So they are isolating themselves, to be able to get through work. That’s hugely isolating.

Agree with this. My social relationships are much stronger now that I'm not exhausting my social energies at work.

I actually like working in co-working spaces with non colleagues too - there's no barrier up, and those friendships are more genuine than when you HAVE to get along.

The answer isn't all or nothing. My current workplace is making a hash of hybrid, which is the worst of both worlds. But I've worked in really good hybrid cultures before.

I enjoy WFH but it suits the age I am it
But I also would not want to have missed the office days of my youth. I loved all the office politics , social interaction with colleagues , drinks after work, learning from peers and managers and glad I got to experience it.
I am also interestingly glad both my children have chosen careers that involve them not WFH (it’s bad enough they bounce back after uni anyway, because of high rents never mind sharing an office with them!)

There was an epidemic of loneliness before working from home. The atomisation of families and the loss of cohesive communities is the nexus of that social catastrophe but I expect the dissolution of common workplaces is another loss with more of the same to follow.

Yes. There is a rise in mental health problems, and musculoskeletal problems, in working age people which they think is caused by WFH.

I wonder if it will lead to an increase in dementia which is highly correlated with poor social connections in mid life.

Yep, a default of work as socialisation is exclusionary. We just didn't do very well at acknowledging that as a society until pretty recently.

I think it entirely depends on the individual and their circumstances. I would think any future research into this would conclude that for some, particularly those with caring responsibilities or disabilities, working from home opened up many opportunities. And for others in different life stages/ circumstances it was perhaps not so beneficial.
Luckily now a person can decide if working from home will work for them or not, and apply/not apply for jobs based on their preference.

There needs to be choice and options. WFH works for some, not for others. It's also different at different times of life.

Personally, I'd never take on a permanent/fully WFH job. I'd hate it. Just not for me at all.

Then again, living in a pretty run down region of the country, there've never been much in the way of decent employment with prospects etc., so I've always "under achieved" working in relatively small firms, which limited promotion/advancement, so I'd have actually been better off working from home for a bigger/better firm in a city a couple of hours drive away. But back then, such jobs didn't exist on a WFH basis.

I've discussed this at length with our son who starts his first proper job this summer after graduation with a blue chip employer. He has to move away and will have to rent a flat in an expensive city (no jobs in his chosen profession within a hundred miles!), as it's not a fully WFH job, as he has to go into the office at least one day per week, plus more during the first few months for training etc. At first, he thought he'd just go in for the minimum he was required to do, and even considered long commutes for those days or even staying in B&Bs or AirBNB for 2/3 nights per week mid week, but after discussions, he realised he'd prefer going in every day, at least for the first few months, even if he didn't "have to", just to get used to office life, get to know people, etc.

His plan is now to aim to be in the office five days per week at first, then go down as the months/years pass, and maybe return to live close to home in a few years and just "commute" the requisite one day per week, staying in a B&B overnight the night before.

Flexibility and choice is the best it's ever been. Those wanting office life can choose a job that provides it, those who want WFH can choose a remote job with minimal (if any) office attendance. I just wish we had that kind of choice 40 years ago when I started out.

Yes. About a decade before lockdown a friend said he thought work colleagues now took the place of the ‘tribe’ for many people. I think this is true. You build relationships by having very regular contact with people.

i get the impression that the public sector has embraced wfh more than the private sector. Apparently commercial office businesses have not collapsed as predicted as the private sector are still keen to have whole teams in on the same days, so need the same space. I work in the public sector and when I was looking for new jobs, they were nearly all working totally from home, only meeting once six weeks as a team. So no real regular in person contact. My new public sector employer is drastically reducing office space to save money.

Yes I agree, especially with caring responsibilities, disabilities, etc., but also given the London Centric nature of the country's economy, it also opens up opportunities for those living (and wishing to remain in) the regions to get decent jobs with prospects, etc.

Yep!

Hopefully there will be studies about the negative effects on mental health when people have been forced to be spending 8 hours a day in open plans offices.

You only need to read the threads about the depressive state of so many people on Sunday nights, some literally sobbing at the idea of going to the office.

Life doesn't have to revolve around your office and colleagues you haven't chosen. It's allowed to have hobbies and meet people through shared interests, you're more likely to get on.

Not made a huge amount of difference to me, and if I still had to go into the office every day I'd probably not be able to maintain employment.

I think I probably will be isolated and lonely when I'm older, but don't know what to do about that at the moment.

It also depends on what your office environment was like. In one office I worked in, the atmosphere was pretty toxic and I left as soon as I could.

Another place was ok but but for various reasons everyone was just head down and into work. I'd be lucky if I could eke out 5 minutes of interaction a day!

One place was decent and that's where I worked the longest. But there are a lot of workplaces where the social interactions just either aren't happening or aren't that good. It's no worse then to be wfh.

The problem I had with my workplaces was that we were all commuting in different directions. Trying to arrange drinks after work for example always turned into a logistical nightmare.

I work from home most of the time. I do not feel social isolation, however that I am sure in part comes from the other parts of my life and my other interactions having either remained or come back after the 2020 restrictions.

I do agree with the OP that there should be studies, as those who like me find it a good thing should be able to say why, and ideas as to how to avoid the isolation be promoted.

Work is only one area where social interaction has probably reduced. Who talks to a person in a bank, who watched films at home instead of the cinema, to give two examples.

@Lifeinamajorkey

Yes. About a decade before lockdown a friend said he thought work colleagues now took the place of the ‘tribe’ for many people. I think this is true. You build relationships by having very regular contact with people.

Yes, but these days, you can have "regular contact with people" via internet chat groups, so you don't necessarily need face to face contact to build relationships etc.

My son was at Uni during the worst of the covid years but despite being virtually shut in his flat, doing all his lectures, seminars, tutorials, etc fully online for a full year, very little socialising (everything shut on campus), he made loads of "friends" via online chat rooms, for his flat, for his Uni college, for his subject, for the various clubs & societies that weren't running in person. He's never said he hasn't made any friends - given his personality, it probably suited him better.

He's a couple of months from starting his first proper job on a graduate scheme with a blue chip employer. He and the other graduates on the scheme already "knew" each other as they've had an online chat room running since Easter. They know where each other are from, what departments they're working in, what Uni degrees they've studied, lots have shared their hobbies and interests, they're currently discussing where they're going to live, who's already secured rented flats, some have already agreed to share and are looking at 2/3 bed flats to rent. All that before any of them have even met in person!

I think the online chat rooms like instagram, facebook, whatsapp etc are game changers.

I agree. I mostly work from home now and I enjoy it but some of my best friends used to be colleagues. About 15 of us meet up every few months and we haven't worked together for over 20 years and some people I see much more often. I really miss the office banter.