Remote work comes with emotional costs

Itook a weekend trip to Montreal with friends a few months ago. The following Monday, I had a scheduled visit with the divisional president at a client’s company.

We would have normally had our meeting over Microsoft Teams videoconferencing, but I was happy to hear he was in town and wanted to meet in person. Personally, I still prefer in-person meetings versus my meetings still occurring online.

Before we started discussing the project, we chatted about our respective weekends. I told him about Montreal and a terrific night spot with a live band.

The president said he and his wife had always wanted to go to Montreal and asked if could make some suggestions. I took a pad and wrote down the names of my favorite places.

The exchange got me thinking about how much I’ve learned about places and things over the years from my co-workers. I’m starting to realize how much is being lost from the lack of personal interactions at work. Even though I understand and appreciate the increased flexibility of today’s modern workplace, I must admit, I miss everyone! I get a little depressed when I walk by a lot of empty cubicles.

We humans thrive on predictability and routine. With the added flexibility, it’s hard to know when anyone will be in the office or working from home.

Things like taking the same route to work or seeing the same people weekly at work gives people a sense of comfort. When we know what to expect, that helps us feel secure.

I don’t think I’m alone. I think many workers wish they could go back to the routine of having a place to go to work. Be it behind a chef ’s counter of a busy kitchen or a desk inside an office building, lots of folks miss the daily social interactions with co-workers. It was where the magic was meant to happen.

Even some workers who formerly complained about their desk job now speak sentimentally about their cubicles.

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At least those cubicles were next to other people’s cubicles. Now, we are totally by ourselves at our desks at home. I don’t know about you, but I’m truly craving workplace interactions.

Here are some important reasons why we should consider returning to the workplace:

▪ It’s good for the organization, as collaboration and creativity are more likely to happen when we are all together.

▪ There are social benefits of being in an office, including being able to connect with people, share information, have accidental epiphanies and make friendships.

▪ The statistics show that many married couples met at their workplace.

▪ Diversity and inclusion are normalized when people are physically seen and encouraged to work side-by-side.

▪ Coming into the office can be good for employee’s professional development. Junior employees can watch, listen and demonstrate their skills.

▪ Meeting managers in person can create an opportunity to have them mentor your career aspirations. When people are remote, it’s far more difficult to mentor someone and provide them with the nuances and skills they need to advance their careers.

That said, there are many important reasons why flexibility has been embraced, and if staff concerns are not heard, the resentment could lead to multiple resignations and movement to jobs that offer remote work. HR and leadership need to listen to employees, giving an equal platform to both the resisters and the supporters of return-to-work plans.

In a best-case scenario, the supporters will encourage resisters to come back.

Middle management should also be trained on how to handle employee resentment.

Leaders should consider offering programs that make coming back a little easier. This can include cash incentives to cover travel costs, costs of child care, or more flexible hours for when people do come in, such as allowing employees to leave early to pick up children or care for the elderly.

Even covering costs for a few months can give people the chance to figure out child care or find a new way to commute.

You can also reimburse your staff for gasoline and transportation costs.

Some companies have subscribed to food services, where employees can have their meals delivered to avoid staff leaving the workplace and waiting in lines at busy restaurants.

It’s clear the workplace has made a major shift. Some employees moved away and can’t return to the office. The caregiver burden is still unsolved.

Asking people to lose the flexibility they have known for over two years can be difficult but acknowledging what we have lost by the separation is also important. We need to be reminded about the benefits of professional and social interaction. We are inherently “herd animals,” and I, for one, truly miss the herd.