How productivity tools hurt your work relationships

In the 1920s, writer and inventor Hugo Gernsback created the “isolator helmet.”

Fed up with everyday distractions, he designed this unusual headgear to block any outside stimulus and help him work more efficiently.

Nineteenth-century novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac fueled his productivity by drinking up to 50 cups of coffee per day — often guzzling two cups at a time.

In ancient Greece, a public orator named Demosthenes forced himself into months of isolated study by shaving off half his hair. Apparently, his vanity was stronger than his need for social contact.

Throughout recorded history, humans have tried to trick themselves into greater productivity.

And from distraction-free software and food-delivery apps to virtual offices and telecommuting, we’re still trying to shave precious time from our daily routines.

As of 2016, the global productivity software market was estimated to be worth a whopping $58 billion. Two years later, that figure has surely soared even higher.

Consider any part of the typical workday, and no doubt, there’s an app for that.

For team communications, we have group messaging and chat apps like Slack; Zoom to replace in-person group meetings; and virtual whiteboards for remote brainstorming.

Meeting applications can also schedule gatherings and build agendas. Some even compile information from participants’ LinkedIn and Twitter accounts — making those old “icebreaker” intros increasingly less common.

For collaboration, a growing number of project management tools can help organize group deliverables and deadlines. Some even offer live updates on team members’ progress.

Many productivity apps and software tools eliminate the need for in-person interactions. Indeed, that’s often the point.

In the workplace, however, such quest for productivity can have a hidden cost.

While many new tools and technologies boost short-term productivity, they also decrease our human interactions. And that threatens a need that’s more fundamental than productivity: social connectedness.

Even when we do see someone in-person, our productivity impulse often keeps us connected to our devices, which can lower the quality of these essential interactions.

In fact, the mere presence of a smartphone can decrease our empathy.

A 2014 study called “The iPhone Effect” explored how phones affect face-to-face experiences.

After observing 100 couples having conversations (with and without their phones nearby), researchers noticed that conversations without a phone present resulted in greater empathy.

The importance of human interactions

It’s a no-brainer. Along with food, water, and shelter, social interaction is a fundamental human need. We spend a significant proportion of our time at work, so the office can provide important opportunities for social interaction.

There are many benefits to strong at-work social connections, too, including greater happiness, lower stress, higher job engagement, and a healthier life overall.

Removing the isolator helmet

For as long as humans have been working, we’ve been searching for ways to be more productive. I suspect that’s not going to change any time soon.

But, perhaps we should aim to strike a balance between productivity and human connection.

It takes deliberate effort, especially when we’re working remotely, but maintaining social connections is worth far more than the time we save with yet another productivity tool.

After all, socially connected employees are happier, healthier, more engaged, and tend to be better performers.

So, wear that isolator helmet if you like (or the modern version you just downloaded). But try to go analog sometimes, too, and make the effort to connect face-to-face with your colleagues.