ProfessionalIsolation
Combating professional isolation
Remote working has been an enormous benefit for many, but for some it can prove to be a lonely experience. So how do you get the best of both worlds?
Words: Christian Doherty Illustration: Simbie Yau
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, remote working has become the norm. Recent statistics show that almost 40% of us work from home, with a further 24% describing their arrangements as hybrid (split between office and home).
For many, the emergence of remote working was a boon – less time and money spent on commuting, fewer dull hours at the office and perhaps less energy spent dealing with annoying workmates. However, six years on, there is growing evidence that working alone – either at home or in a serviced office – can have an impact on workers’ mental health.
As one study put it: “Despite its undeniable advantages, remote work, by altering routines and reducing social interaction, can generate significant consequences for workers’ mental health, including mood swings, irritability, anxiety and difficulty concentrating, aggravated by unclear boundaries between personal and professional life.”
Conversely, social interaction is linked to better health. According to Bupa: “Studies show that people who have strong social connections tend to have lower rates of depression and anxiety and are more resilient to stress. Other research demonstrates that social connections can have a positive impact on our mental wellbeing, as well as our physical health, by improving cardiovascular health, boosting the immune system, boosting brain function and even increasing lifespan.”
I felt isolated in terms of not having any contact in the professional world on a regular basis.
Balancing act
Professor Phil Reed, a chair in the department of psychology at Swansea University, says when it comes to social interaction and time alone, human beings typically need a balance. “You’ve got to have some private space and some public space, and juggle the two,” he says. “Whether it’s in person or remotely, you have to have both of those options available. It becomes very destructive psychologically if you’re constantly in the public gaze, or you’re constantly out of it.”
Reed cites a survey in Forbes magazine that found that, among professionals working from home, at least a third of them felt much more isolated. “Around a quarter of them mention that one of the causes of their concern is the inability to learn from colleagues around the office, and around 25% of them felt a lowered self-esteem as a result of working remotely.”
One of the most difficult issues with social isolation is its link with depression, which Reeds points out often stems from reduced self-esteem that then impacts on our ability to be productive. He adds: “I think alongside that, one of the impacts on their self-esteem as it relates to their ability at work is they are not getting that informal peer mentoring that we can get in the workplace.
“Research shows there’s something about the motivation and the reinforcement from informal contact with trusted peers which doesn’t have to be missing when you work remotely but often is. When we’re talking about that absence and lowering of contact and consequent lowering of self-esteem that then occurs as a result, it all impacts on productivity.”
Image: Simbie Yau
Dealing with disconnection
Davinder Chaggar qualified with a small London firm then worked with various mid and large accounting firms and industry before taking a role with Paul Beare Ltd, a remotely operated accounting firm specialising in helping overseas businesses to set up in the UK.
For her, isolation took a few forms. “I have worked for myself and as a remote contractor,” she says. “At times, I have not spoken to anyone work related for a few days and I felt isolated in terms of not having any contact in the professional world on a regular basis.
“I didn’t feel part of a team, sometimes felt as though I wasn’t communicating with anyone, other than on emails.”
As a result, she says sometimes she felt disconnected and demotivated.
That disconnection is often a result of too much time away from the moderating influence of others. And that can result in what Reed calls “social isolation inertia”.
“When someone falls into social isolation, that becomes their norm,” he explains. “Because, as humans, we are geared to protect the status quo. What we tend to do is protect the way that we are, so that even if the way we are is counterproductive to us, we resist changes and settle into what we’re doing.”
When that happens, the cycle of isolation begins and that tends to have a few common signs. “Typically you’ll see less engagement,” says Reed. “So if you have scheduled Teams or Zoom drop-ins, people turn up. If there’s a fall off in their engagement, it could be signalling they’re falling into that social isolation inertia where they don’t want to contact people.
“So things like that can be a clue that someone is trying to shut down and are into either depression or social isolation. That can be connected with a reduced self -esteem, which has impacts on your ability to be productive.”
Ways to manage remote teams
“It’s very important not to have trite tick-box things to do,” says Phil Reed. “One of the reasons why that’s so important is these things then become must-do and they take away the autonomy and control from your workers, so the key is to allow colleagues to devise their own methods to combat isolation.”
As soon as they start micromanaging, research shows, managers tend to undermine performance by denying people autonomy. “They don’t feel autonomous, they don’t feel empowered,” says Reed. “And that’s a surefire way to remove their reinforcement, cause depression and reduce their performance because you undermine motivation.”
Secondly, managers need to look beyond simple workplace performance. “Although that’s part of it,” Reed admits. “It’s are they functioning as individuals? So you’re looking out for things like engagement. And that’s not just about whether they engage, but also how do they engage?”
Then, consider setting up online drop-in facilities. Reed says: “One of the things that we did with the students that worked quite well during Covid was open up these types of rooms as a space, and students dropped in and out of them as they wanted. They actually were fairly well populated. It’s the water cooler, but it’s online.”
> WAYS TO AVOID BECOMING ISOLATED
Davinder Chaggar says her approach was simple: “I scheduled in regular face-to-face catch-ups, coffee meet-ups, days working at a virtual office to interact with others and set up video calls.” Her advice to those who might find themselves feeling isolated is to be similarly proactive.
But it’s not just drop-ins and catch-ups. “What I would suggest is have your own six-monthly goal setting,” says Phil Reed. “That means devising a strategy where you objectively write down your goals for the next six months, as you would with your own manager. Then you’ve got something set that you can refer back to.”
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