Organisational loneliness: the modern paradox of hyperconnection

Throughout history, humans have sought to organise themselves into communities, to weave bonds, to create spaces for sharing and to exchange. From Roman forums to medieval guilds, and the literary cafés of the 18th century, the history of our civilisation is one of a perpetual quest for social connection.

March 2020 marked a decisive turning point; overnight, the professional world plunged into the era of “full remote”. The deserted open spaces became the silent witnesses of a profound mutation in our work relationships. Screens, once simple tools, transformed into true distorting prisms of our social reality.

The irony is striking: the more we multiply communication channels, the more we deepen the chasms of our isolation. Teams, Slack, Zoom – these platforms, supposed to bring us closer, have become the unwitting architects of our loneliness. Informal corridor conversations, those spontaneous moments where ideas and camaraderie naturally emerged, have been replaced by “quick calls” and standardised emojis.

The “water cooler culture”, once mocked for its apparent futility, reveals today its crucial social function. For what remains of team cohesion when every interaction is planned, every exchange formatted, every laugh translated into a GIF?

The paradox is cruel: we have never been so technologically connected, and yet so profoundly humanly disconnected.

Digital rituals awkwardly attempt to fill this void: “virtual coffee breaks”, “digital happy hours”, “online team buildings” – so many simulacra that highlight, by their very existence, what we truly lack. Is it not the height of absurdity to have to schedule moments of spontaneity?

This organisational loneliness insidiously infiltrates the very fabric of our companies, like a virus more insidious than the one that precipitated its spread. New employees, “onboarded” remotely, build their professional identity on virtual foundations, deprived of those thousand little informal learnings that shape a company culture.

As a personal epilogue, I cannot help but see in this organisational loneliness the reflection of a society that, in its quest for efficiency over authenticity, has ended up confusing connection with relationship. We have optimised our communications to the point of evacuating their humanity. It is time to relearn the art of true social bonding, before our organisations become nothing more than networks of interconnected solitudes.

Thierry Ungaro
General Director

“The paradox is cruel: we have never been so technologically connected, and yet so profoundly humanly disconnected.”

Thierry Ungaro