Reach out: Isolated workers may find comfort in the company of others

If you work from home, you may enjoy your nearly anonymous situation. After all, if you do the work, it’s fairly easy to avoid the spotlight — regardless of whether it shows you in a positive or negative light.

“Unless you actively meet with people or engage as a team, there’s a good chance you can stay out of sight,” says Rebecca Langford, a Minneapolis-based marketing coordinator who began working

from home when the pandemic began. “But that’s a bad thing. The more isolated you are, the more detached you are from

your group, your company and your industry.”

In addition to the social benefits of actively engaging with others, working in a virtual vacuum may not be that great

for your mental health. “I have team members who want to stay hidden and I tell them they’re making a mistake,” she says. “They’re avoiding contact because they feel like they have no social reason to reach out if they can do all their work via email or messaging, which seems strange. They put themselves out of the picture. When it comes time for promotions or new projects, they’re going to be at the bottom of the list.”

Langford says she speaks from experience, admitting she began keeping her distance from her co-workers a few years ago when she felt like they engaged in more gossip than work. “I figured there was no harm done if the work got finished but that was incredibly short-sighted,” she says.

Donald Briton, an executive coach in San Francisco, says businesses have survived for decades with numerous workers who stay at least an arm’s length from their peers, but as remote work increases, that acceptance is changing. “In today’s workplace, communication is everything,” Briton says. “Projects have tight deadlines and short shelf-lives, so it’s important to get things done right the first time. And if we’re only online, there has to be some human contact.”

Briton says there are different types of workers who prefer taking the solo route, from the painfully shy introvert to the toobusy-to-talk taskmaster

And then there’s “that guy.”

You know him. You’ve worked with him at some point during your career or maybe you’re working with him now — the loner who is perceived as someone who thinks he’s better than everyone else.

Don’t be that guy.

“Being a loner at work can be tricky; online it’s even tougher, even if you’re surrounded by people who like you and respect you,” says Briton.

– Marco Buscaglia