Here in the nation’s capital there is a lot of controversy about requiring most federal employees to return to in-person work and to limit remote or “work from home” options. Like all things in Washington, the issue has become politicized. President Biden sought to broaden work-at-home options; President Trump is now rescinding Biden-era policies and calling on federal workers to return to in-person work.
The trend to remote work has grown significantly over the decades as computer and internet connectivity have made remote work more possible. The COVID-19 pandemic strongly boosted this trend and, long after the pandemic ended, rates of in-person work have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Is there a Catholic view on this topic? This trend involves many prudential decisions, and opinions differ. Both options impact important principles. Where should the emphasis lie?
Some pros and cons
We start with the benefits of remote work. It reduces traffic and air pollution in cities. Care for the environment is certainly a Catholic principle. It can also reduce stress and expenses commonly linked with long-distance commuting. This improves morale. For parents, it offers more time at home to be present with their children and spouse. Enhancing family life and the relationship between parents and children is an essential objective, particularly in these times when marriage and family are facing significant challenges. Many individuals prefer remote work as it provides a more comfortable and conducive environment for meeting human needs. Here, too, the Church has fought long and hard, beginning with the rise of the Industrial Revolution, to ensure the workplace is safe and that conditions and working hours respect human dignity and legitimate needs. Work should support life, not dominate it.
When reviewing the concerns associated with remote work, the question to ponder is not if remote work is intrinsically bad, but rather if the growing numbers of those who almost never work in person is a healthy trend.
A considerable number of individuals today are engaged in work that is entirely remote. They work online for a company that does not have a physical building or headquarters. If they have ever met their fellow workers, or even management, it is by a remote video conference. Even among those who occasionally do in-person work, the amount of that is diminishing. Are there problems with this trend? Yes, especially as remote work becomes increasingly popular.
Remote work can limit teamwork and the constructive collaboration that emerges from regular human interaction. Yes, there are tensions in the workplace, but without tension there is little growth or needed change. Remote work is often interrupted by home life, resulting in sporadic work patterns. Sadly, not every remote employee gives an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage, and it’s often harder to hold them accountable compared to in-person work.
Social isolation is not healthy
In a broader sense, living too remotely hinders our human formation. The human person is a social animal. We are made to interact with others, to be formed and influenced by our experience of them. The basic unit of society is the family, not the individual. Beyond the family, friendships and interpersonal relationships related to business, interests and faith are also essential for us.
In recent years, social isolation has increased, affecting friendships and other relationships. The internet has intensified this problem by permitting us to live a siloed existence. We set up news streams that reflect what we want to hear. Social media friends typically share our views. We increasingly live in echo chambers or bubbles, choosing not to interact with the wider world of complex and diverse views and people.
Remote work does not help this trend. It limits our exposure to diverse human experiences outside our bubble. We become progressively lacking in the social skills required to navigate the complexity, challenges and richness of genuine human interaction. We forget how to adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of others or how to interact with a diversity of views. In the past we did learn to navigate this because, frankly, we had to.
The emergence of artificial intelligence may increase this problem as AI assistants learn to adapt to our preferences and views. Many may come to prefer their AI friend to real friends.
As Catholics, social isolation should concern us because koinonia (communion) is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus did not write a book. He formed the communion of believers we call the Church. He called us to love, support and admonish each other. We are also to help each other reach heaven, which is a communion of saints united in God’s love and the vision of him, who is a communion of three persons.
Jesus saved us ‘in person’
Until recently, life has been a complex interaction of relationships that are both pleasant and challenging. We didn’t get to select every relationship we had, especially at work. Both positive experiences and challenges contribute to our personal growth and help us become who God intends us to be. Leading increasingly isolated lives can deprive us of valuable and occasionally challenging relationships that contribute to our personal growth and development. Remote work can lead to social isolation over time. A self-selected reality is a world that is too small — and not what God really intends for us.
Here are summary thoughts to weigh. Both types of work have their advantages. However, as remote work becomes progressively more common, we do well to consider important truths, such as our need to interact broadly to be well formed and the blessings of teamwork and accountability. As in so many things, balance may be the best solution. Remote work and a proper dose of in-person work can best supply the advantages of both. There are just too many things that remote work cannot supply.
Remember this, Jesus did not phone it in. He became incarnate and walked among us, summoning us to be members of his body, the Church. He ate and drank with us, taught us, and, having offered salvation to all of us, seeks to bring us one day to the glory of heaven and the Communion of the Saints.
