There’s been a lot of HR buzzwords since the pandemic. To name a few, there’s the Big Quit (also known as The Great Resignation), hot-desking, quiet quitting, and more. Hybrid work is changing the business landscape, so much so, it seems we are no longer user-friendly people.
The newest buzzword “desk-bombing” leaves me cold. Similar to photobombing, it refers to a colleague’s sudden appearance at one’s desk to do that most inexcusable thing: talk.
This ‘go away, I’m introverting’ sign that we’re putting up is a concern.
Some find desk-bombing annoying and disruptive.
“As someone who works in content, staying focused is important, and being interrupted can often take me out of the flow state, which can be difficult to get back into,” says one worker.
Now, people are having anxiety over unscheduled office conversations. They’re sending text messages and emails to someone in the same office because they don’t want to disrupt them.
Are we growing accustomed to going solo? Did the pandemic destroy the Industrial Age mindset that determined the work environment for centuries?
Desk-bombing is another red flag that technology is destroying meaningful interactions that build relationships.
Quite frankly, I support desk-bombing.
Being approachable at your desk can facilitate quick decision-making responses and helps build relationships with our coworkers. Offices should be collaborative spaces where people should feel comfortable interacting with colleagues without talking with their thumbs.
Face-to-face communication should be a simple act of humanness.
This is where we develop our soft skills.
Companies are spending billions on training because their workforce is not “soft” enough. It used to be that hard skills were valued more than soft skills in the workplace – probably because of matters like desk-bombing.
Exercise some common sense when approaching someone. Be observant. For example, give someone wearing headphones a wide berth. Read the body language and feel the energy of the conversation through real gestures, facial expressions and voice tone to determine intrusion.
Emojis should not be a substitute for emotional expression, sociability and enjoyment.
There’s so much to be gained from physical presence vs virtual presence.
- leads to a transfer of skills and knowledge
- improves creativity
- improves your health
- facilitates the intake of new team members
- improves employee retention rates
- improves employee morale
- improves individual productivity
- improves collaboration
Health, as we know it, is both physical and mental. This mental health includes social well-being.
People are social beings, thus, if we want to have an engaging workforce, we should be encouraging more meaningful moments via human interaction.
