I wrote a few months ago that remote working could turn out to be the tobacco of the early 21st century. Some thought I’d overstated the point.  But just because something is popular, and widely enjoyed by millions, doesn't mean it does not have unforeseen consequences.

Now research shows that loneliness “has the same effect as 15 cigarettes a day in terms of health care outcomes and health care costs”.  Loneliness should be “as important to managers, CFOs, and CEOs as it is to therapists”, according to the authors in HBR (see below).

When I wrote my book GLUE, it was off the tail of social distancing, lockdowns, and many millions "furloughed". As government restrictions ended, many cried freedom from the commute, and a new working paradigm was borne called “hybrid”.  According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), working apart from one another has never been more popular with 44% of Brits now working from home.  Hybrid work is hugely popular, with even the same ONS staff threatening industrial action for being required to return to the office 2 days a week.

But where is the social capital, the all-important “glue” created through personal relationships and close connection with others?  If we glimpse into the future, in South Korea and Japan, ahead of the game in working from home, loneliness risks become a kind of social epidemic, with Japan struggling with over 1 million “hikikomori” - extremely lonely people.

I'm not advocating blunt return to work mandates, five days of commuting and the banning of Zoom calls. But I do think business leaders should be mindful. The more enlightened entrepreneurs of the industrial revolution built houses, hospitals, schools, parks and churches, that brought workers together. We can sneer at the past from the suburbs, but for those left in the decaying cities, they are both connected and yet disconnected like never before. Leaders can still do something about it.  Invest again in great workplaces. Give employees a reason to reconnect (not just plug and play at a workstation) and make being together meaningful again.

What do you think?  Did I overstate the worry about disconnection being like tobacco? Should I lose my Victorian frock coat and get with the vibe of technological marvel that is 21st century work?

The Harvard Business Review Article is here: https://hbr.org/2018/03/americas-loneliest-workers-according-to-research?