Last Saturday and I spent the day cleaning my closet and dressers. It was a major purging event. Two thirds went to charity and the other third went in the garbage. It was a lot of work for a day off and I was feeling pretty accomplished at the end of the day. And tired. I do not love cleaning and it just made me tired. That’s when I sat down and started reading through all my social media feeds. The topic that kept coming up was about loneliness in the office and how it reduces productivity and causes absenteeism. One in particular said that while all ages are affected, Millenials and Generation- Z employees report feeling lonely at a rate of 50%. That is too many people feeling lonely. Especially when we’re all in the office together.
The article reinforces the idea that humans are social beings and need the face to face interaction that is often missing from electronic communication. It recommends creating real life connections in the workplace such as community break rooms and social groups. My employer has done a great job of creating a culture of inclusion and social support.
This is one of the many reasons I love going to the office. I have a comfortable work space with colleagues close enough to talk with and tools that make remote communication possible. I can belong to any of numerous clubs and organizations. I go to Toast Masters on Thursdays and LOMA Society events when available. There is a crafters group that meets over lunch where we knit, crochet, scrap book, or whatever in our beautiful cafeteria with comfortable couches next to a faux, roaring fire in the fireplace. I work with great intensity and efficiency because I love what I do and I love where I do it.
Fast forward one week and now we have the Covid -19 National Emergency. Some of us were social distancing outside of work last week ‘just to be safe’. Now we are social distancing more and more because public places and events are shutting down. Schools are closing and workplaces are having associates work remotely from home. I am in favor of these safety precautions. I want to slow down this virus and prevent the chaos that comes with massive illness.
I am very fortunate to have a job that can be done on my computer from home and an employer with the resources and foresight to encourage it. Next week my team will be working from home to help prevent the spread of the corona virus. While I do have concerns over the economy and my retirement nest egg, my first challenge is how to manage the daily work from home routine. My team is smart, engaged and very creative so I have no doubt we will be productive while away from the office. We will work together and stay connected on our mission and progress. We can talk over email, Skype messaging and conduct meetings over Zoom for some face to face time. I feel like we’ve got it covered for our work time. But what about the rest of our time when we’re not working?
This is no time to panic and stockpile food and supplies beyond 30 days. This is the time to be smart, care about our fellow man and lessen the impact of this disease. I have seen many postings on Facebook where individuals and businesses have offered to help feed children who will not get the school lunches they depend on as well as people offering to help elderly folks and shut ins with shopping. I like this kind of thinking and hope we see more of it. Each of us should do good as we are able. This is how we help ourselves. This is how we build community. This is how we end the loneliness.