There was a time, not that long ago, when people struggled to get and stay connected with each other. They had to work hard and they had to spend a lot of time in order to communicate with others around the world. Getting connected to the internet was a challenge. This was a time before Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
However, now we are in an age where this struggle is no longer an issue. We have a new struggle now, it is a struggle to disconnect. We have become so connected that it has become a burden to us and for a lot of people it is a huge cause of stress. For most people these days the last thing they do before they go to bed and the first thing they do in the morning is check their smartphones. They check social media, email, instant messages, text messages etc….
This constant connectivity interferes with our relationships, our sleep schedules, our driving abilities and our ability to fully relax. The question is, what will it look like in the future when we take vacations? Will we pay premiums to go somewhere where we can fully disconnect. Somewhere where there is no internet, no computers, no televisions and no technology? A place where we can have human interaction, face to face conversations, read a good book, exercise and enjoy nature.
People are burned out, stressed and sick of always being connected. I really believe that in the future we are going to try harder to disconnect in order to get back to the basics in life when we take time off from work.
Let me know what you think, comment below to share your thoughts! You can subscribe to the YouTube channel for more videos.
My new book, The Employee Experience Advantage (Wiley, March 2017) analyzes over 250 global organizations to understand how to create a place where people genuinely want to show up to work. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
Comments