It’s no secret that Americans today are overwhelmingly lonely. Social networks are limited as the work place becomes more isolating and social spaces disappear. The rising popularity of remote work has worked to complicate loneliness. On one hand, remote workers have more ease of access to their family and friends. Yet simultaneously, remote workers struggle to form any bonds with their coworkers.
This can be damaging when one considers the sheer amount of time the average American spends at work. In generations past it was more culturally acceptable to have one’s family and work friends make up their social circle. However today the divide between professional and personal life has been amplified.
In response, some businesses have started to adapt and introduce more social aspects to remote work, such as Tavern – a powerful foray into community coworking in NYC. While having daily work done remotely can save money and time, the same doesn’t apply to social interactions. So what some businesses are doing is introducing physical social events to what is otherwise a remote work experience.
While there are complications to this approach it has distinct advantages. Most prominently, the divide between personal and professional life is still maintained. Employees can meet with their peers at a happy hour or brunch event, events which are explicitly physical and social. Yet when these same employees go into work the next day, it’s remote. This maintains the work-life balance people now critically think about and expect.
Even more importantly, this approach explicitly values the social life of employees. It’s no surprise today that happy and healthy workers are better workers. However, it’s still rare to see businesses take a critical interest in their employees’ lives. This is just one small step in changing this, but still a step in the right direction. And this is the importance of in-person social events, specifically for remote workers. It sounds counterintuitive, but as more businesses become remote, it’s an important method for supplementing social interaction.
Source: Tavern Community