>People who worked remotely for two or more years lost their social skills. They became shy, reserved, and confined to their comfort zones and small groups. They forgot the art of striking up conversations with strangers. They forgot how to have fun with people. Single men became glued to dating apps and lost the ability to approach women even in safe, everyday settings.
The only part of this that's true for me is the part about becoming shy and reserved, but I'd argue it has more to do with the work culture than the structure of working from home. Regardless of where you work, all it takes is a few "don't say anything" remarks from your team lead or supervisor before the outgoing nature is conditioned away from employees. This can be reversed, even when someone is working from home, by incentivizinging them to be more outgoing. Saying this as someone who has been a remote worker for 10 years.
biglyburrito•3mo ago
+1 on Nikhil spouting bullshit. I haven't lost my social skills & I've been working fully remote since 2020. I still have coworkers tell me they appreciate my help, despite not being there in person. I don't behave any more or less awkwardly when I interact with people IRL now than I did when I was still working in the office 5x/week. I simply choose to do my best work without wasting time or money commuting to/from a physical location.
evanjrowley•3mo ago
>People who worked remotely for two or more years lost their social skills. They became shy, reserved, and confined to their comfort zones and small groups. They forgot the art of striking up conversations with strangers. They forgot how to have fun with people. Single men became glued to dating apps and lost the ability to approach women even in safe, everyday settings.
The only part of this that's true for me is the part about becoming shy and reserved, but I'd argue it has more to do with the work culture than the structure of working from home. Regardless of where you work, all it takes is a few "don't say anything" remarks from your team lead or supervisor before the outgoing nature is conditioned away from employees. This can be reversed, even when someone is working from home, by incentivizinging them to be more outgoing. Saying this as someone who has been a remote worker for 10 years.