Letters | As coronavirus makes staff work from home, beware the risks to social and company bonds

Social interaction at work is often impromptu, and working remotely reduces the opportunities for such interaction. Over time, this will weaken relationships

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Working from home may reduce the opportunities for employees to participate in issues affecting their work unit or the organisation, hurting the chances for them to have a say in their company. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:40am, 14 Mar 2020Updated: 7:40am, 14 Mar 2020

An Instagram post of a group of hikers taking a selfie on a hillside, instead of working from home, went viral recently. While most netizens laughed at their lack of social media sensitivity, managers lamented the difficulty of monitoring whether employees were working from home or shirking.

I believe the focus on whether employees are actually “working” in a work-from-home arrangement masks a more pressing challenge: the gradual deterioration of relationships between employees, and between employees and their organisation.

Working from home means fewer chances of face-to-face contact, which can provide important information about social relationships. Social interaction at work is often impromptu, but working from home removes the possibility of such spontaneous social events. Over time, the relationship between employees could suffer.

The connection between employees and their organisation may also suffer, with opportunities for employees to participate in issues affecting their work unit or the company dramatically reduced, hurting their chances of having a say in the company.

People often prefer to voice their ideas in person rather than over the phone or the internet, and hearing employee voices is critical for workplace engagement. Indeed, scholars have found that employees’ degree of physical isolation as a result of virtual work lowers their identification with the organisation.

Just to be clear, I agree with readers who believe in flexible workplace practices, and the benefits of working from home are well-documented. Nevertheless, with the end of coronavirus outbreak nowhere in sight, employees and companies alike should start thinking about how to build and maintain relationships when forced to work remotely.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | As coronavirus makes staff work from home, beware the risks to social and company bonds

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Social interaction at work is often impromptu, and working remotely reduces the opportunities for such interaction. Over time, this will weaken relationships

Letters | As coronavirus makes staff work from home, beware the risks to social and company bonds

Social interaction at work is often impromptu, and working remotely reduces the opportunities for such interaction. Over time, this will weaken relationships