In our workplaces and homes, we are increasingly using technology as if it does in fact meet these needs. Our basic human needs for love and acceptance and to be ‘heard’ can only be met by meaningful interaction with other people, being present in our everyday experience and conversations. Yet, it’s easier to ‘check out’ behind our screens. And companies (to some detriment) are encouraging it.

Don’t worry; we’re not grabbing the pitchforks and hailing Slack or Whatsapp as the new enemy. These and other tools are brilliant for productivity and creativity. But if online or instant messaging is our exclusive tool for human connection and social media is making us... well, anti-social... we become disconnected and even depressed.

That being said, technology is here to stay, so we may as well find ways of working in unison with our technological life partners. The main objection being that with mobile devices on us and around us all the time, we avoid the other spaces we can go to for help and connection. What if we could combine the two, to, in a way, create a balance, especially in the workplace.