I worry that the widespread acceptance of work from home without any other societal changes will increase the level of loneliness. It’s a solution that has to come packaged with other quality of life enhancements or social trust is going into an even faster free fall. I wonder what a wfh/social solution would look like.
Edit: I’m not advocating for the office, I just think people like me wouldn’t do very well without other changes, and I think there are more people who don’t know how to make adult friends than we think. I’m not even an introvert, I just don’t go to any place often enough to make friends from it.
Most of the social gatherings I’ve been to have been set up with coworkers. Maybe I was conditioned by the American education system but I don’t think I’ve ever made a friend outside of a place that we both were expected to go to consistently. I’m not very familiar with constructs outside of that if I’m honest.
Yeah you’ve got to be a little outgoing to make friends sometimes. If you’re not using up energy to commute it might be easier though. It would be for me
In theory if you have a circle of friends already, then social should be better with WFH because when it is quitting time you are immediately done and have more evening for social gatherings. if you recently moved cities before WFH, not having colleages might cut down chances of finding new friend groups
I have only ever had stressful social interaction at work, except for my current job where I’m generally the only one there and as long as I’m within budget whatever I say goes. That is to say the only non stressful job I have done is the one that is 99% just me with no other people and I only even need to be there because it’s physical work, the odd clerical thing is done from home on a phone work profile.
Don’t get me wrong I have certainly had my fair share of bad work interactions but most were benign and some became friends. Although I’m not advocating for the office, I just think people like me wouldn’t do very well without other changes, and I think there are more people who don’t know how to make adult friends than we think. I’m not even an introvert, I just don’t go to any place often enough to make friends from it
I worry that the widespread acceptance of work from home without any other societal changes will increase the level of loneliness. It’s a solution that has to come packaged with other quality of life enhancements or social trust is going into an even faster free fall. I wonder what a wfh/social solution would look like.
Edit: I’m not advocating for the office, I just think people like me wouldn’t do very well without other changes, and I think there are more people who don’t know how to make adult friends than we think. I’m not even an introvert, I just don’t go to any place often enough to make friends from it.
If your only social interactions are through work, you’ve got a problem already.
Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Yeah, I agree. That’s why I think loneliness would increase, being at work masks a pretty significant issue
You have potentially two or more hours added to your day for socializing.
Get lunch nearby, go to the park, do stuff in the evening.
If you’re too isolated physically that speaks to urban sprawl and car dependency more than wfh imo
Fucking go outside and go to social gatherings
Most of the social gatherings I’ve been to have been set up with coworkers. Maybe I was conditioned by the American education system but I don’t think I’ve ever made a friend outside of a place that we both were expected to go to consistently. I’m not very familiar with constructs outside of that if I’m honest.
Yeah you’ve got to be a little outgoing to make friends sometimes. If you’re not using up energy to commute it might be easier though. It would be for me
In theory if you have a circle of friends already, then social should be better with WFH because when it is quitting time you are immediately done and have more evening for social gatherings. if you recently moved cities before WFH, not having colleages might cut down chances of finding new friend groups
I have only ever had stressful social interaction at work, except for my current job where I’m generally the only one there and as long as I’m within budget whatever I say goes. That is to say the only non stressful job I have done is the one that is 99% just me with no other people and I only even need to be there because it’s physical work, the odd clerical thing is done from home on a phone work profile.
Don’t get me wrong I have certainly had my fair share of bad work interactions but most were benign and some became friends. Although I’m not advocating for the office, I just think people like me wouldn’t do very well without other changes, and I think there are more people who don’t know how to make adult friends than we think. I’m not even an introvert, I just don’t go to any place often enough to make friends from it
It’s going to result in the wholesale exportation of white collar jobs overseas. It’s already underway.