Adriana Mota, Head of Area at KCS IT, wrote an opinion piece in Observador about the importance of in-person contact in the age of remote work. Titled “The Nostalgia of Contact,” the full text can be read below.

The Nostalgia of Contact

We live in front of a screen, and much of our social dynamic now runs through technology. But technology, however real it may feel, will never replace physical contact.

Forbidden fruit is always the most tempting.... That's how, in recent years, we longed for remote work! Our reality inevitably changed, and we actually had to learn not only to work but to live and interact almost remotely, and now we miss what we always took for granted: Physical Contact in the Age of Remote!

Even though it's been a subject of study for at least 67 years, since Maslow, back in 1954, stated "that Man had five needs: survival, security, belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization," these needs have never been so globally and simultaneously called into question as in the 21st century.

What we're experiencing today is an early arrival of the future we'd all already anticipated, but never expected to reach so abruptly.

The Age of Remote has arrived and forced us to rethink important aspects of life, drawing on our creativity, on "outside the box" thinking, forcing us to be less resistant to change and more tolerant of those who are, naturally, more "averse" to technology and, more importantly, forcing us to reinvent ourselves as social beings.

Our social dynamic has changed, that's a fact: we live in front of a screen, and much of our social dynamic now runs through technology. Technology that brings us close in absence, that opens doors to the world, and lets us go beyond borders. Technology lets us get closer to those far away from us and, in a way, ease that very Portuguese feeling: saudade!

However, the dynamics of work have also undergone profound changes for those sectors that were forced to shift to remote work: a simple brainstorm now has to happen via Teams/Zoom, the onboarding of new employees had to be rethought, building bonds and a sense of belonging to companies became one of the biggest challenges organizations face, and the very dynamics of work had to be adjusted and continually readjusted. The social dynamic itself in a work context is still desired, like the 10-minute coffee break mid-morning, needed not only for the caffeine, but also for the social need, the toast to achievements, the friendly shoulder in defeats... all of that is still possible, just in a different way.

Our need to be with people is so strong that, nowadays, the simple phone call has fallen out of use, texting is barely used, email isn't fast enough... but the reality is that in most cases we're the ones who choose not to use those technologies, because they don't let us see the person on the other end. A video call makes us feel more connected to the person, and that's why we choose it, in an attempt to make up for the lack of social contact.

Focusing on our need for belonging, the Age of Remote brings me conflicting feelings:

— The time previously lost commuting, in traffic, on public transport, has been freed up, and we now have more time for family... but in many cases, we've lost physical contact with them;

— We've gained more time for friends... but we've lost time spent together with them;

— We've gained quality of life when it comes to being able to work from the comfort of home... but we've lost the social dynamic of the world around us

— We've proportionally gained more autonomy and responsibility at work... but we've lost the "colleague/friend" next to us

— We've quickly gained countless technological tools that allow more direct contact with those we care about... but we've lost physical contact with them;

Technology, however real it may feel, will never replace physical contact, and that's the harsh reality for those who love technology and everything it has brought us.

At a time of great environmental concern, there are always those who argue that Nature always finds a way, a phrase often used to mark the passing of an Era. Will Man, who is by nature a social being, find his own way to balance the importance of technology with the importance of physical relationships?

We've gained as much from the Age of Remote as we've lost. Which way does your scale tip?