The referenced article can be found here --> https://www.fastcompany.com/91242681/a-psychologist-explains-why-we-cant-ignore-workplace-loneliness-anymore

Identity loss: the elephant in the room when it comes to remote work.

This is not to downplay the clear and significant advantages of remote work. However, if we, as a community, have embraced it as the future, we should examine the topic from perspectives beyond just productivity, employee satisfaction and bosses who struggle with trust.

From the Article: “Hybrid work, which often allows individuals to avoid analog or physical contact with other humans for weeks, threatens our natural sense of belonging to our workplace culture and careers, creating a sense of emptiness in our professional self and overall identity. […] The workplace has always represented more than just a venue for tasks. It’s a social environment where individuals seek appreciation, collaboration, camaraderie, and being understood and accepted by others. The lack of such social fulfillment can lead to decreased psychological safety, lower self-esteem, and diminished trust among colleagues. This impacts individual mental health and team dynamics, organizational culture, and job performance.”

Bottom line: do we envision workplaces as spaces where individuals grow and mature, both personally and as engaged citizens? Or are we content to reduce work to a transactional exchange, where employees exist solely to deliver an outcome, employers are merely clients, and colleagues are nothing more than social contacts? This is a critical question! While embracing “work as a service” instead of “work as a community” may offer certain conveniences —no commutes, more free time, fewer relationships to manage— it has also left us lonelier and more vulnerable. We have become more isolated as individuals and less connected as a community, with all the repercussions that follow.

"Remote" signifies distance, whereas a society thrives on closeness, not only in moments of leisure but also in collective effort. Progress occurs when people come together to work, improving both their own circumstances and the society as a whole. In contrast, gathering solely to socialize, brings no meaningful advancement.