I have been serving food to some stray dogs in my locality since past few months. They follow me on roads wagging their tails ecstatically whenever I approach outside. First I thought that this bonhomie is a result of their longing for food. However, it was not long before I realised that this behaviour has nothing to do with me serving food to them - they behave the same way even when they have no appetite. So I thought harder for an explanation and got the same in a lesson I learnt in History books .Dogs have always enjoyed company of humans - a trait that made them arguably the first animals to be befriended and domesticated by our forefathers and something that the dogs of my vicinity have inherited from their ancestors.
I am telling all these to remind us of a similarity between dogs and human beings - we both are social animals. We love to live in company of others and feel restless in isolation.For people in white collar jobs, the workplace and colleagues make a big part of this social sphere.The lunch time gossips we make, the tea time jokes we share and the mere feeling of being surrounded by people close to our heart help to weave the social fabric that keeps us attached to each other and nurture our emotions.The ongoing social distancing and Work From Home (WFH) arrangement have forced us to remain confined to home. While tweeting with a picture perfect click of our home-workstation adorned with accessories and the customary coffee mug may be a temporary source of joy , this exile from our circle of friends and acquaintances will invariably take toll on our mental well being.
The norms of social distancing will hopefully be lifted someday as we tame this catastrophic pandemic but experts believe that the idea of WFH is here to prevail and gain currency. Already some of the IT behemoths have announced that the WFH model may well be the 'new normal' for their employees in foreseeable future. However, any concept of workplace which is entirely devoid of regular contact between the humans involved is highly unlikely going to be a sustainable solution. The companies may prosper economically adding a few extra bucks to our wallet at the end of the month but this monetary gain will come at serious cost to our social character traits and mental well-being - at least till the day our cerebrum controls our emotions.
The norms of social distancing will hopefully be lifted someday as we tame this catastrophic pandemic but experts believe that the idea of WFH is here to prevail and gain currency. Already some of the IT behemoths have announced that the WFH model may well be the 'new normal' for their employees in foreseeable future. However, any concept of workplace which is entirely devoid of regular contact between the humans involved is highly unlikely going to be a sustainable solution. The companies may prosper economically adding a few extra bucks to our wallet at the end of the month but this monetary gain will come at serious cost to our social character traits and mental well-being - at least till the day our cerebrum controls our emotions.
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