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As a psychologist , I ’ m interested in understanding the needs and behaviours of humans . It ’ s a worrying time in the world of work .
I do workplace research and strategy , for all sorts of businesses across the UK . For many years we have been asking their employees what they like most about their workplace . The reply has always been ‘ the people ’.
Do we think that this has changed since the Covid pandemic ? Do we believe that people are no longer interested in spending time with people ? Equally , do we think a stilted , Dalek-like video call fulfils our needs for human connection ?
The answer is a resounding ‘ no ’. So why are businesses making decisions based around the assumptions that human beings are not social animals ? That their employees will not only survive but will thrive working from home , alone , for the majority of their working hours ?
Many of the businesses that previously boasted strong leadership and decisive management are now uncertain about their workplace strategy . Decisions are being driven by savings - and if a business can show that it was their employees ’ choice to work from home then it ’ s a win-win .
But does that make financial sense ? Employee costs are typically 10 or 20 times those of workplace overhead . Without inspirational places that create culture , community and creativity , as well as support learning , knowledge sharing , and wellbeing , won ’ t
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businesses be guilty of not investing in their key asset ?
The danger is that businesses
are likely over time to lose their
heartbeat , their community , their
home . Yet few people seem to be
acknowledging this .
Do not underestimate isolation Social isolation has been forced upon us during lockdown and has been cited as a key reason for avoiding further lockdowns . Yet many businesses are considering high levels of homeworking when we emerge . This is understandable when looking at the bottom line – but what will the human cost be ?
The power of community & physical health The impact of lack of human connection on our mental health is instinctive but just the tip of the iceberg . Recent scientific studies have investigated the link between social isolation and physical health , with alarming findings . One study found that having few social connections has the same impact as smoking 15 cigarettes ! Social isolation has moved from a wellbeing issue to a global health crisis .
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We are more aware than ever of the value of our relationships . We rely on the remedial potential of being connected to others . This is what makes me concerned that we are going to blow it totally by encouraging such high levels of home working .
People meet friends and partners at work , developing a depth of trust and understanding that rarely comes from ‘ virtual only ’ relationships . Existing relationships may survive the transition to virtual but developing a solid and meaningful relationship with someone virtually does not achieve the same end result .
Senior people who decide their business ’ s workplace strategy tend to be self-motivated , driven , can work independently , and usually have a good homeworking set up . They have a lot of people in their networks so are relieved to not have the distractions they had in the office . Yet they are exactly the people who need to be in the office — there to transfer knowledge , to lead , to inspire .
I want to be very clear here …
I am not suggesting that businesses shouldn ’ t have some element of home working . Let ’ s envisage the workplace as an ecosystem of physical , virtual and social , not as a binary of office and home . It simply doesn ’ t make sense to spend time commuting to another place if all we are going to do that day is have our heads down writing a report .
One or two days a week home alone will suffice for most people , spending the rest of the working week together with others . It might
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be in a hub destination workplace , or a local spoke , a co-working space or café .
The destination hub needs to be a vibrant , collaborative , inspirational , tech-enabled workplace . Somewhere people want to go to rather than feel they have to . Where collaboration and creativity are the mechanism through which to share knowledge , engendering diversity of thought and experience . That ’ s not to say there shouldn ’ t be any quiet working in the shared workplace . There will continue to be many people who simply can ’ t work from home on any day , due to their domestic or psychological circumstances , and they should not be denied a place to work .
The workplace of the future will be welcoming , varied , and highly tailored to employee experience and wellbeing .
Just as long as the decision makers can see beyond their own desires and circumstances to what their people need and make brave decisions about what is best for them .
Deborah Wilder , Head of Research & Strategy , deborah . wilder @ interaction . uk . com
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