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I don’t understand this comment, do you suggest all forms of social contacts are created equal and people should just replace the social interactions they used

I don’t understand this comment, do you suggest all forms of social contacts are created equal and people should just replace the social interactions they used to have with co-workers by visiting their family more often, organizing more poker nights with friends or taking salsa classes or whatever? That makes absolutely no sense, these interactions are completely different from those you would have with your co-workers, and it’s perfectly normal even for people with an otherwise active social life to miss those. My friends and family are almost universally incomparable to my coworkers in almost every way.

watwut 6y ago
But the truth is, for many people colleagues are the only people they regularly interact with. Especially people who work a lot have basically non existent or purely formal other relationships. They don't even know how to relate to people outside of job setting.
- Nursie 6y ago
  That's a sad thing for them. I wonder if the US long-hours culture contributes to this.
- ck425 6y ago
  And that is horrible. But there are a lot of folk who feel lonely from WFH who are not like that. The comment was insulting because it implied that if you're lonely from working from home it must be because you lack a social life. You can have a thriving social life and still miss the social aspect of an office.
  - ryandrake 6y ago
    If you have a robust social / family life outside of work, and you are lonely now, it’s probably because of COVID stay-at-home and not because of WFH.
    - jlokier 6y ago
      I disagree, based on some of the other comments here and elsewhere. There are people for whom being stuck in their WFH area for 8 hours a day 5 days a week with no social interactions is very unpleasant, even if after work they have a robust social / family life. Some of them were reporting this doing WFH prior to Covid. The most amazing social life outside work won't compensate for that daily gap which occupies about half of their waking hours. Some people need more regular personal interactions throughout the day than that. On top of that, some people's work creativity or mental stimulation thrives on social interactions with colleagues in the same or related work domain. A social life with friends and family does not substitute for "work-oriented social interactions" with people who are grinding on the same kinds of problems, for example drinking buddies with whom you can discuss code. It doesn't really matter if these people are long term friends, as it's a different kind of stimulation.
Jugurtha 6y ago
>I don’t understand this comment, do you suggest all forms of social contacts are created equal and people should just replace the social interactions they used to have with co-workers by visiting their family more often, organizing more poker nights with friends or taking salsa classes or whatever? I don't understand this comment. Do you suggest all your family members and friends have lower value than your work colleagues and it's okay to let them suffer? Or are you saying that all unemployed people should suffer the consequences of not having coworkers? See what I did here? It's called a strawman argument. You didn't say that, but someone on the internet could easily do that to something you said and turn it into something you didn't say, write, or mean. What I am saying is that this pandemic is taking a toll on many people and has exposed crutches we relied on before COVID. What I'm also saying is that these give us hints on what we can try to improve.
- ck425 6y ago
  And what other folk is saying is that enjoying socialising in the office isn't necessarily a crutch and that implying it is is insulting.

watwut 6y ago

But the truth is, for many people colleagues are the only people they regularly interact with. Especially people who work a lot have basically non existent or purely formal other relationships. They don't even know how to relate to people outside of job setting.

Nursie 6y ago
That's a sad thing for them. I wonder if the US long-hours culture contributes to this.
ck425 6y ago
And that is horrible. But there are a lot of folk who feel lonely from WFH who are not like that. The comment was insulting because it implied that if you're lonely from working from home it must be because you lack a social life. You can have a thriving social life and still miss the social aspect of an office.
- ryandrake 6y ago
  If you have a robust social / family life outside of work, and you are lonely now, it’s probably because of COVID stay-at-home and not because of WFH.
  - jlokier 6y ago
    I disagree, based on some of the other comments here and elsewhere. There are people for whom being stuck in their WFH area for 8 hours a day 5 days a week with no social interactions is very unpleasant, even if after work they have a robust social / family life. Some of them were reporting this doing WFH prior to Covid. The most amazing social life outside work won't compensate for that daily gap which occupies about half of their waking hours. Some people need more regular personal interactions throughout the day than that. On top of that, some people's work creativity or mental stimulation thrives on social interactions with colleagues in the same or related work domain. A social life with friends and family does not substitute for "work-oriented social interactions" with people who are grinding on the same kinds of problems, for example drinking buddies with whom you can discuss code. It doesn't really matter if these people are long term friends, as it's a different kind of stimulation.

Jugurtha 6y ago

>I don’t understand this comment, do you suggest all forms of social contacts are created equal and people should just replace the social interactions they used to have with co-workers by visiting their family more often, organizing more poker nights with friends or taking salsa classes or whatever? I don't understand this comment. Do you suggest all your family members and friends have lower value than your work colleagues and it's okay to let them suffer? Or are you saying that all unemployed people should suffer the consequences of not having coworkers? See what I did here? It's called a strawman argument. You didn't say that, but someone on the internet could easily do that to something you said and turn it into something you didn't say, write, or mean. What I am saying is that this pandemic is taking a toll on many people and has exposed crutches we relied on before COVID. What I'm also saying is that these give us hints on what we can try to improve.

ck425 6y ago
And what other folk is saying is that enjoying socialising in the office isn't necessarily a crutch and that implying it is is insulting.