American companies are hitting an inflection point, where they will need, for the sake of productivity and effectiveness, to insist that more workers return to the office. And while workers may say that this is a make-or-break issue for them, the vast majority will return to the office if compelled – as they generally have in Europe and Asia. That’s an argument from a new book titled In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work, by Peter Cappelli of the Wharton School, and Ranya Nehmeh, a workplace strategist.
But it’s not really the argument about business efficiency that interests us, but rather their thoughts about why returning to work is so good for employees . . . and their health. As Cappelli told Kerry Hannon of Yahoo! Finance, in-person work means “You will have friends. You build your social network. Remote workers having shrinking social networks, and that contributes to the loneliness epidemic and the lack of social connections.”
And it’s not just friends, but an entire set of relationships in and around the office that contribute to your well-being. These “weak ties” – the everyday interactions we have with people outside our inner circle of close friends and family members – turn out, according to research, to be important to well-being and healthy longevity. Chatting with people on the bus, or at the water cooler (assuming we still have water coolers), or even a quick word in the hallway all builds connection, resiliency, and health.
There is little doubt that remote work has been a boon to families, caregivers, and people with mobility challenges, but it has also contributed to the widespread challenges of social isolation and loneliness that Americans face.