The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us into working remotely, as workplaces around the world have been shut in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.  It’s seen a boom in use of technologies such as Zoom to keep teams in contact.

A new survey from Cass and IESE Business Schools suggest that many of us are getting used to this new way of working, and particularly the lack of face-to-face contact with our colleagues.  The data found that 91% of workers across Europe are adjusting to not seeing their colleagues in person.

The survey, which was conducted across around 2,500 white-collar workers, focused on the forms of grief these workers experience as a result of working from home.

Stages of grief

Of the five stages typically associated with grief, the survey found that acceptance and exploration were most common, which the researchers believe indicates that most of us have been able to put the lack of face time into context and are able to look ahead reasonably well.

Despite this, over one in three have experienced feelings of sadness or depression, with a similar number struggling to motivate themselves to work without the direct contact with their colleagues they’ve come to enjoy.

“People seek continuity,” the researchers explain. “The lockdown interferes with that process. Although full-time teleworking allows for role continuity, it disturbs relationship continuity. Our research demonstrates that we are social beings who need face-to-face contact with others. For many, spontaneous meetings in the corridor or chit-chat at the coffee machine are an important social ritual.”

These informal encounters can strengthen our connection to others, and thus have a positive impact on our wellbeing.  It’s a major reason why the researchers believe the physical workspace is not going away any time soon.

An individual perspective

The data also underlines the importance of taking an individual approach to this situation.  For instance, the age of employees appeared to play a part in how they felt about the situation, with younger employees generally feeling more pessimistic than their peers over 40.

The researchers suggest a variety of ways of handling this grief, including finding a new way of forming a structured routine each day.  Among those who have managed to do this, 81% said they felt optimistic.

“Over the past few months, teleworking has more than proved its worth,” the researchers conclude. “It will undoubtedly be a much bigger part of how we work in the future. However, the corona crisis has taken away all face-to-face contact with colleagues from one day to the next, and for many this has proven to be a loss that employers certainly need to consider.”