Why It Is Important to be Social When You Work from Home

Working from home is something that offers a range of benefits. Such as being able to work around other commitments, having the time and space to do what you need to do in between meetings and deadlines, and, of course, being able to save on fuel and that morning cup of coffee.

However, it can come with its downsides, as can everything, and one of those can be loneliness. Depending on whether you work for a company or whether you go it alone as a freelancer can have a significant impact on who you interact with or how often you interact with someone.

Let’s take a look at why it is important to be social when you work from home and what benefits it might bring.

A Reduction in Isolation

Isolation can be a real issue for those who work from home, even if they do work for another company. Part of being in an office is about the culture and the shared experience of working together in a team. That being said, that is usually the best-case scenario, and many people can be left feeling burnt out by office politics and not being able to focus on a piece of work because of an open-plan design. This is why working from home can be beneficial to the people who work best in solitude.

However, this can come with its own set of issues, such as not being able to have a minibreak with a little chit-chat with your office bestie can have an impact on your well-being.

The best way to combat this is to engage with your friends or colleagues regularly. This could be anything from having a work ‘chat’ feature to meeting up with someone on a coffee break to get out of the house and have some face-to-face interaction.

Keep Up Your Motivation

It can be easy to get stuck in your own head and get in a slump if you are the only one you really need to answer to, which can also lead to a decrease in motivation. Especially if you are able to just ‘put something off’ until tomorrow or your sofa is calling you intently to watch the next episode of your Netflix show.

Keeping motivation up can be difficult at the best of times, so not having someone around to help encourage you could contribute to you feeling apathetic about what you need to do.

Having a body double or someone who is doing a similar thing to you can help keep you in the right mindset, and this is particularly useful for those who have ADHD or other issues where they struggle with motivation.

Don’t Lose Your Social Skills

Many people were dumbfounded by the change in their social skills during lockdown. It was a stark reminder that “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” It is easy to forget how many social skills are reinforced every day, and if you don’t experience that, they can start to wane. Small talk, which was once second nature, suddenly feels like a presentation in front of 1,000 people that you are not prepared for.

If you want to keep your social skills up to scratch, then working in a shared space can really offer you the best of both worlds. This can either be something as simple as the pub or a local café or getting something more structured in place, such as the coworking eagle house Shoreditch, which is a great spot if you are in London.

Networking Opportunities

One of the difficult things about working from home, especially if you are a freelancer, is that you can often miss out on networking opportunities. Though you can get plenty online if you know where to look, it can also be rewarding to get out and meet new people. Even the most random little meetings can spark something new for your business or personal life and build further connections and leads, which can be essential to your work.

To Ease Stress and Anxiety

Whether you are working for yourself or working from home, there is no denying that there are going to be bad days. Sometimes, a client might mess you around; other times, your work might not go how you wanted it to. It is important to be able to vent or blow off some steam when it comes to work stresses, even if you just want your feelings to be validated. While work colleagues will be able to understand your stresses and strains, friends can also provide you with a respite that can ease the anxiety that comes along with having a rubbish workday!

These are just some of the reasons why it is essential to be social when you work from home and make that extra effort to speak to others.