While digital communication has made things easy and convenient. It has also caused a lot of problems for people as well. You do not always have to or want to be available or reachable. Whereas it is easier to moderate this easy access with social relationships. But it is a different ballgame when it pertains to work.
Work and digital communication
Unless you do physical work. in which case. Digital communication plays a smaller part. For the rest on the industries, internet is an important medium. Thanks to COVID-19 and the stipulations to work from home. Newer and specialized channels have been create that allow for worker-access.
This is all fine and dandy if you see it in the 5-9 context. you log onto your computer at 9, and call it a day at 5, which almost never happens. Due to digital communication, your office will reach you, wherever, whenever.
From the emails to Zoom meetings. to Slack messages to Trello boards to even WhatsApp messages. most offices haunt their workers via digital channels. which stresses the workers out. Imagine, you are never able to leave work! For some people, the stress may be so great that. they need to visit their Psychologist in Lahore for to function better.
Digital communication methods like email. Skype, social media, and online applications. have made it possible for team members to work from wherever. they happen to be located in the world at the time, as long as they have access to the Internet. This not only allows workers to have more. flexible hours and the ability to conduct business from. home or a coffee shop if they choose, but has also paved. the way for companies to hire staff members from other countries — often at cheaper rates.
This expansion of talent pools. also means that it is easier for human resources. managers to bring on board the most qualified people for positions. even if they don’t live in the same city or country as the firm’s operating base.
Dangers of workplace communication via digital world
Burnout
Notwithstanding the stress of workplace that you are never able to turn off, there is also the matter of burnout. Since the office can reach you via different platforms, they absolutely do. Moreover, as the digital world offers efficient communication, you are never given a reasonable time to response. This adds to the pressure, resulting in burnout.
Furthermore, for creativity to flourish, your mind needs space and inspiration. If you do not get time off work, you will be stuck in a rut. Without the creative juices flowing. the monotony of the task can also lead to greater burnout.
No sacred space
When you come home from a stressful day at work. You perceive your home to be the sacre space. That should not be tarnished by workplace talk. However, this leisure ended with the 90s.
With the advent of seamless digital communication. Your office can reach you at your home, and the workplace stress follows you there as well. Your laptop and phone become a constant reminder of unread emails and messages. Worst yet is the situation for those working from home as there is no sacred space, period.
When everything is a reminder of work. Especially when your work is not intellectually stimulating you, it can become very hard indeed.
Anxiety from the words
In the convention setting, you used to talk to your colleagues. Now, it is either email communication or apps like Slack. So, what initially could be a simple conversation, is a tirade of back-and-forth.
Not only does this add complexity to the problem, but the constant conversation can also be very draining as well. There is also the matter of reading between the lines can also cause a lot of stress.
In a general conversation. You are able to understand the mood and intent of the other person better from their tone or mood or facial expressions. On digital platform, you are unable to recognize these markers. So, you spend a lot of your time trying to understand what was implie.
It is even more complicate when the other person is online, and you are expecte to reply instantly. This puts even more and completely undue pressure on your brain, which can also falter then.
Moreover, the process of comprehending the message, especially when it’s from the higher ups, can also be very daunting. For people with bosses who like playing mind-games. Digital communication is extremely complicate and messes with their mental health, requiring treatment from their Psychologist in Karachi then.